Safe (2012) – IMDb.
Sat down to watch this last night after putting the kids to bed, but I wasn’t exactly excited by it. The premise is rather good, but the overall plot is a tired formula. I suppose that the action was supposed to carry this film, but it actually put me to sleep. There really wasn’t anything in this to keep the brain involved, or at least nothing that I saw while my eyes were open.
Technically this was a rather well done film. The cinematography was well handled and the shots were nicely composed. The action scenes were well choreographed as well, even if the scenes all started to blend into each other. Even the acting was ok. Nothing spectacular or earth shattering, but not so bad that you feel like your eyes and ears are going to bleed out. The problem with this film wasn’t with technique but rather with originality. How many films have we seen Statham do exactly the same thing? How many films has he taken on the cause of the underdog against overwhelming odds and beaten the snot out of those odds to come out victorious? Yep, movie after movie that he has been in has followed this basic plot. It was great when we first saw him in Transporter, and even in Transporter 2, but by then it was starting to feel forced. Movie after movie has followed this same basic plot, and while the action scenes may be well handled the whole thing when pulled together is just mind numbing rather than pulse pounding.
In the end I have to say that it just doesn’t rate better than mediocre. I was very comfortable giving it a 5 of 10 stars. It wasn’t a bad film, but it also wasn’t a great film, and the fact that I fell asleep in the midst of an action heavy film doesn’t say much for how engaging it might be.
...Geoffrie, A Work In Progress 