“Safe,” an action thriller, recently hit theaters to stand up against a stiff competition of blockbuster summer films. Jason Statham returns to his familiar, modest hero role in his performance of Luke Wright, a corrupted cage fighter who inadvertently wins a fight that he was fixed to lose.
Having infuriated members of the Russian mafia, Wright is placed under permanent watch by paid goons. Wright is fated to stay quiet and nameless; anyone who comes in contact with him is quickly disposed of.
The film also focuses on the perspective of Mei, a gifted Chinese girl played by Catherine Chan, who serves the Chinese mafia. With each scene, the film bounces between the perspective of Wright and Mei as writer/director Boaz Yakin attempts to slowly reveal exactly how their lives intertwine.
Corruption is the underlying theme of most institutions and individuals portrayed on screen. Rival gangs, police department officials and politicians routinely bribe and deceive one another. Statham’s character on the other hand, seeks to redeem himself by finding a justifiable reason for living.
The intensity on display is a notch above the usual gun violence and car chases found in other recent action films. Still, many directors commonly enjoy the use of a “shaky cam” effect to build tension during moments of crisis, and “Safe” is no exception. Although the “shaky cam” does occasionally help to build visual tension, the seemingly amateur overuse of the effect was oftentimes distracting.
Another mild flaw of the film was the slow revelation of Luke Wright’s character history, which is meant to help the audience develop a better understanding of his motivations over time. At times, this is an acceptable method for storytelling. Generally, though, the poor execution of this storytelling method negatively affected the flow of the film.
In time, these explanatory scenes do reveal the specific motivations of the leading cast. Why the director felt that the storytelling demanded that audiences understand the lead characters through this stylized form of storytelling is anybody’s guess. Knowing his motivations from the get-go would not have harmed the story.
That being said, “Safe” has a lot going for it. Clearly, the director set out to create an intelligent action-thriller. The movie’s gun violence, car chases and hand-to-hand combat are well executed and stand above similar sequences seen in other mature action films. Fans of brutal, fast-paced action will not be disappointed here.
As a veteran action star, Jason Statham is most certainly in his element and at the top of his game. Those familiar with “The Transporter” and “Crank” have a general idea of what to expect. As far as Statham films go, his performance in “Safe” is better than most.
Overall, “Safe” gets a pass. The film was not without flaws: the method for revealing the motivations behind the main cast was off-putting and unnecessary, the script was somewhat bleak and generic and the film followed a familiar action formula. However, the result is a fast-paced thriller that successfully entertains the audience while exploring themes of innocence, corruption and redemption.
