Safe House (2012)
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A low-level CIA officer must protect a high-value prisoner from a team of mercenaries who are determined to retrieve a dangerous data storage device.
The story
In Cape Town, South Africa, junior CIA officer Matt Weston serves as a 'housekeeper,' responsible for securing a local safe house. His routine is disrupted when the agency brings in Tobin Frost, a veteran operative accused of betrayal, for interrogation. When a team of mercenaries attacks the safe house and kills the interrogation team, Weston is forced to flee with Frost in his charge. As the pair is hunted through the city by a team of killers who seem to be one step ahead, Weston must navigate a web of secrets and determine who can be trusted.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Matt Weston, a junior CIA officer in Cape Town, is tasked with guarding a safe house. He is frustrated by his lack of field experience while hoping for a transfer to Paris. Meanwhile, ex-CIA operative Tobin Frost acquires a data storage device from a rogue MI6 officer, Alec Wade, but is attacked by mercenaries and surrenders to the American consulate. A team led by Daniel Kiefer transfers Frost to Weston's safe house for interrogation. During the process, mercenaries led by Vargas attack, killing Kiefer's team. Weston escapes with Frost and seeks instructions from CIA headquarters. After a series of maneuvers involving a second safe house and a pursuit through a township in Langa, Weston discovers that Vargas is actually working for the CIA to retrieve the storage device. Frost reveals the device contains evidence of corruption involving the CIA, MI6, and Mossad. After a series of violent confrontations, Weston kills the corrupt CIA superior, David Barlow, and takes the files. Back in the U.S., Weston is offered a promotion but chooses to leak the incriminating files to the media before returning to Paris to ensure his girlfriend Ana is safe.
- First release year
- 2012
- Runtime (minutes)
- 115
- Production countries
- South Africa; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Daniel Espinosa
- Writers
- David Guggenheim · writer; Daniel Espinosa · rewrite
- Cast and characters
- Denzel Washington · Tobin Frost; Ryan Reynolds · Matt Weston; Vera Farmiga · Catherine Linklater; Brendan Gleeson · David Barlow; Sam Shepard · Harlan Whitford; Rubén Blades · Carlos Villar; Nora Arnezeder · Ana Moreau; Robert Patrick · Daniel Kiefer
- Genres
- action; thriller
- Themes
- Betrayal; Corruption; Trust
- Tone and mood
- Action; Thriller; Techno-thriller
- Premise and plot tags
- CIA; Spy; Action; Thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- Spec script
- Reception
- The film earned mixed reviews, with praise for Washington and Reynolds' performances, but negative criticisms for the screenplay and the editing of the action scenes. It was a commercial success, grossing $208.1 million worldwide.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 52 · scale: 100 · review count: 36
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.; Safe House appeared on the 2010 Black List of best unproduced screenplays.; Daniel Espinosa's first English-language film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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