I really liked Safe House, and it answered a question I’ve been asking myself since Green Lantern.  Can Ryan Reynolds actually act?  The answer is a resounding, albeit surprising, yes.  Believe me, I’m just as shocked as you are.

Spoilers ahead.

Reynolds plays CIA agent Matt Weston, who is in charge of a Safe House in Cape Town South Africa.  His job entails sitting in an empty safe house all day just in case the CIA has need of it.  He has a girlfriend, who is completely in the dark about what it is he does.  He has ambitions to be a real agent.

When former CIA agent, and traitor, Tobin Frost (played brilliantly by Denzel Washington) is brought into the Safe House, the site comes under attack.  Weston manages to escape with Frost, and eventually learns that the attempt on Frost’s life was being made by rogue agents within the CIA including his friend, David Barlow (Brendan “Mad-Eye Moody” Gleeson).  In the end, everyone dies accept Weston, and when he realizes that the CIA is going to sweep it’s own involvement under the rug, he releases the file Frost was carrying, which details illegal acts committed by intelligence agencies around the world.

That’s about it, but along the way, Reynolds and Washington give brilliant performances.  The fight scenes are well choreographed, and there are some epic car chases and gun battles.  This is an action movie with a pretty simple plot, but if you like action movies, this one won’t disappoint.

Thanks for reading!