There is absolutely nothing original about Safe House. The characters, story and cinematography all take a familiar path that we know from countless espionage thrillers. Much like main character Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), a fugitive C.I.A. agent who is surprised by little and impressed by nothing, audience members may come away from Safe House with an apathetic “been there, done that” attitude.
This was not the case for me, however. Is anything in Hollywood truly original anymore? Most everything has been done before, so is it so wrong to find enjoyment in a clichéd movie that's well executed?
The casting of Washington and Ryan Reynolds in the lead roles certainly makes the forgiveness easier.
This article appears in Jun 7-13, 2012.