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Individually, A-list superstars Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds are a pair of the most popular and beloved actors in the industry, with each possessing a limitless supply of charisma. With that in mind, expectations were high that their first-time meeting in blockbuster action thriller Safe House was capable of greatness, which sadly didn’t turn out to be the case.
It’s not an awful film by any stretch, but it is a hugely disappointing one. Audiences can forgive a formulaic story if there’s enough spectacle and star power on display to paper over the many cracks, but matters aren’t helped by both of the leads giving unexpectedly subdued performances, almost as if they’re trying to add a layer of seriousness to the proceedings that it doesn’t deserve.
Safe House is also edited to within an inch of its life, so much so that many of the set pieces are rendered borderline incomprehensible. There’s a reason why the best actioners luxuriate in long takes that allow both the choreography and chemistry of their central pairings to shine through, with Washington and Reynolds admittedly trying to do the best they can to elevate the material.
There was even talk of a franchise after the box office-topper hauled in $208 million on an $85 million budget, but any chatter quickly evaporated in the aftermath – which may have had something to do with the unanimously tepid reaction from both critics and crowds. Big names remain a huge pull on streaming, though, with Safe House back in a big way on Prime Video, after FlixPatrol revealed the undercooked adventure to be a Top 10 hit in multiple countries around the world this week.