Several years ago, top CIA agent Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) went rogue, murdering several of his own colleagues in the process. Now, he has resurfaced and, in an attempt to evade the enemies he has accrued, is handing himself in to the US consulate.
Rookie agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) is tasked with keeping Frost under wraps in a South African safe house, but when the location is charged by mysterious mercenaries, the pair are forced to escape. Matt remains determined to bring Frost in, until the inexperienced agent's calculating charge prompts him to question his loyalty to the cause.
A talented cast and a characterful setting lift this frantic actioner, with Washington's commanding performance reminiscent of his Academy Award-scooping turn in Training Day. A string of pulsating chase sequences full of handheld camerawork and rapid editing mean there's plenty to satisfy any action junkie. In the acting stakes, the high calibre trio of Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson and Sam Shepard are underused, but Washington delivers a villainously charismatic central performance.
Safe House is a Film programme that first aired in 2012 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
