Trailer Tuesday: Safe House

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Action thriller Safe House is only really receiving a profile today because of its unusual, "exotic" setting for a Hollywood blockbuster: Cape Town, South Africa.

What's especially amusing is that Ryan Reynolds's rookie CIA operative seems to be so bummed about being stationed in such a "backwater" spot, which is what the official plot synopsis labels SA's Mother City. I've yet to hear anyone else complain about having to relocate to Cape Town. Tut tut, such an ugly, out of control Third World hellhole...


Anyway Reynolds's character, Matt Weston, is the frustrated caretaker of a rarely used CIA safe house. Weston's world is turned upside down however when deadly CIA renegade and traitor Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) is brought in for questioning... after inexplicably turning himself in after a decade on the run.

Before Frost can be treated to a waterboarding welcome, though, mercenaries attack and Weston is forced on the run with Frost. An unlikely alliance develops between the two men as they attempt to work out who they can trust, and who is trying to eliminate them - a terrorist group or, more worryingly, someone within the CIA? Brendan Gleeson, Robert (Terminator 2) Patrick, Sam Shepard and Vera Farmiga all appear in the film as government agents.


Safe House looks decent enough, although I admit up front I'll be watching this one chiefly for its location - and the ability to play Spot the Local Landmark - as opposed to watching it for its plot, which is hardly original when it comes to espionage actioners. Plus Washington just seems to be rehashing his Oscar-winning Training Day performance again, with a few extra shades of darkness applied to his morally corrupt, older mentor persona.

Safe House opens on 10 February 2012 in North America. The film's South African release date has yet to be announced, but expect it to be around the same period.

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