Safe House

Safe House rates amongst one of THE most anticipated movies of the year 2012. It released yesterday in the US and I wonder what the response has been like. I honestly was disappointed to see yet another CIA movie with little or no difference in either story or the making of the movie. It is the same old stale CIA story that the audiences would probably yawn through this time. I know that I did. In fact, in a rare instance, I walked out mid way to get myself something to eat. Something my close friends know that would be impossible unless 2 conditions are met – 1. I am extremely hungry and 2. I am not terribly excited with what is happening on screen. Both necessary and sufficient conditions were met this time around.

Daniel Espinosa is another one of those newbie directors who has joined an endless list in Hollywood (and for that matter even Bollywood). A list which grows by the day. A list that includes all newbie directors who need to move back to film school or get an internship or Assistant Directorship under a big name for a few years and then come back to attempt direction.

But in all fairness, Espinosa is not the only one to blame this time around. The writer of this story is David Guggenheim again a newbie who seems to have created Safe House as a mishmash of several espionage movies from the past and presented a goulash to the audiences who he definitely believes are not intelligent enough to work out that it is just “old wine in new bottle”. The only difference in angle that I could see is the introduction of the concept of a place where CIA suspects or “guests” as they call them are taken. This place is called a “Safe House” – no points for guessing that.

Denzel Washington is far too talented and mature an actor to be caught wasting his time with silly stories like these. I would have expected Ryan Reynolds to also look the other way when approached with the concept but then Reynolds hasn’t had his share of action / Espionage movies in his resumé. And what was Vera Farmiga doing there with a silly outfit which does no justice to the fact that she is one of THE most good looking women in Hollywood today – not to mention one of THE most talented actresses as well.

Saved by the cast is what Espinosa would be thinking to himself currently. Without this the man could have kissed everything he had good bye. Lucky Espinosa. Not so lucky producer. 5 on 10 for this average spy story. Can download instead of watching on big screen. Maybe rent a DVD.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3006438937/