Safe House
2012, Mystery & thriller/Action, 1h 55m
194 Reviews 100,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
Safe House stars Washington and Reynolds are let down by a thin script and choppily edited action sequences. Read critic reviews
You might also like

Olympus Has Fallen

Killing Them Softly

Act of Valor

The Grey

2 Guns
Where to watch
Safe House Videos
Safe House Photos
Movie Info
For the past year, rookie CIA agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) has been eager to prove himself while cooling his heels at an inactive South African post. He gets the chance when Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), a turncoat operative, is brought to Weston's safe house for debriefing. But soon after Frost's arrival, mercenaries attack, and Weston and Frost barely escape with their lives. The two men must join forces and try to stay alive long enough to figure out who wants them dead.
Cast & Crew
Denzel Washington
Tobin Frost
Tobin Frost
Ryan Reynolds
Matt Weston
Matt Weston
Vera Farmiga
Catherine Linklater
Catherine Linklater
Brendan Gleeson
David Barlow
David Barlow
Sam Shepard
Harlan Whitford
Harlan Whitford
Rubén Blades
Carlos Villar
Carlos Villar
Critic Reviews for Safe House
Audience Reviews for Safe House
-
Aug 15, 2017Safe House is a well acted action thriller. I mean if you are going to bring in Ryan Reynolds, Denzel Washington, Brendan Gleeson and Vera Farmiga...you're pretty much halfway to making a good film. Yet somehow this still fell short from being great. We follow Washington who plays a dangerous renegade with important information. On the run from mercenaries that raided a safe house, Reynolds attempts to prove himself by bringing him in. Full of espionage, double crossing and a damn convoluted plot in an attempt to make it engaging. But in actual fact, it's just generic. If you've watched this, then you'll probably remember nothing about the story. Seriously, give it a shot. Acting though was spot on. Washington and Reynolds made for an uneasy chemistry and the two work well together. Kind of like a master and his apprentice, except this master is on the opposite side of the law to his apprentice. Farmiga, criminally underrated by the way, was underused. Her character was pretty much pointless which infuriates me every time I watch this. Gleeson was good, but again was underused until the final act. The action scenes were great, the first act is definitely the most lively. A car crash, a raided safe house and a car chase in Cape Town. It was exhilarating and Daniel Espinosa filmed it rather well. Sound mixing was noteworthy, the gun shots were loud and piercing which always gets me pumped when watching an action flick. The locations were varied, from the streets of Cape Town to a football stadium filled with hooligans playing vuvuzelas (do you remember them? Flipping awful things). Just nothing felt fresh. It's a "been there done that" scenario too scared to try something new in case the film doesn't make back its budget. If the plot was engaging, this would've been a great surprise but sadly it's just good. Entirely watchable and well crafted, but nothing outstanding.Luke A Super Reviewer
-
Dec 13, 2016Decent if typical Hollywood action thriller with by now obligatory rah-rah underpinnings. By the numbers. Picked out the surprise twist ending bad guy in under 2 minutes. The cast simply needs to show up and be charming, and this much they manage. There's no real teeth here though.Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
-
Jan 30, 2016A very under appreciated film that yes the script could of been abit better but Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds performance and pretty good action scenes make up for it, The story was good but kind of a missed opportunity, But still a good action thriller.Jamie C Super Reviewer
-
Oct 08, 2015Half the film is ripped off The Rock, the other half is cobbled together from some left over 90's action movie script.Marcus W Super Reviewer
Verified