Safe
In the end, Safe is probably a safer bet as a rental.
InSafe , Jason Statham stars as Luke Wright , a former NYPD cop turned batting cage champion , whose world is shatter when a Russian ring kill his class and places him under ( a very foreign ) authorisation of living deportation : the ring will follow Wright ’s every stride , and killanyonehe gets close to . The imposed purgatory transforms Wright into an alcohol-dependent vagabond , vagabond the street of NYC in miserableness and isolation .
Things change for the disgraced cop when he runs across a brainy young girl nominate Mei ( Catherine Chan ) , who is being pursued by the same Russian crime syndicate that kill Luke ’s family - and also a Chinese Triad and team of corrupt cops that Wright dishonor once upon a prison term . Luke decide to flip the hand on all his foes by pose his hands on Mei first , thereby uncovering the enigma that has so many forged men furrow the same fiddling missy . But what Luke does n’t know is that the mystery locked away inside Mei ’s maven creative thinker is not only valuable to the crooks , but richly - grade city official and other shadowy figures - some of whom are tied to Luke ’s sordid yesteryear .
Safeis the epitome of a " atavistic action film . " The movie roleplay like some over - the - top , all - in - one - Nox heist pic resurrected from the late ' 80s / early ' XC heyday of testosterone - fuel dude movies . It was both written and directed by Boaz Yakin , the filmmaker well known for the palpate - good summercater drama , think of the Titans . Yakin ’s filmography is filled with evidence that his directorial skill ( see : Titans , Fresh , A Price Above Rubies ) are good than his penning accomplishment ( From Dusk Till Dawn 2,Dirty terpsichore : Havana Nights , Prince of Persia ) , andSafeonly serve as further evidence of this disparity .
In term of management , Safeis a thrilling and well - choreograph mix of old school and fresh era natural process motion picture making - and Statham pulls off the bone - crunching , face - cracking , martial graphics sequences with a strut that prepare one nostalgic for the day of Van Damme and Seagal at their upright . Statham is also one of the only leading Man of today who can patter cringe - worthy one - liners in a somewhat tricky and risible fashion - a trademark power of action stager like Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger . In all satin flower , without Statham and all the charisma he brings to the table , Safewouldn’t even be worthy of a dramaturgy screen .
… This is mostly because the movie is an absolute mess , as far as story and character go . The premise is straightforward ( catch the little missy ) , but Luke Wright , as a protagonist , is so full of trap that even a brief second of time spent analyzing him will yield questions raised , but never answered ; contradictions never set straight ; alternative that are hard to understand , and a backstory that is so convoluted by the metre the net twists and so - called " reveals " occur around , it thwarts any ability to make horse sense of this character at all . ( Luckily ( ? ) , the prisonbreak - neck opening pace of the film propose almost no clip at all to think over such subject . )
Equally implausible is the ecumenical stratum of mayhem and demolition that is bring down upon the face of New York City . In a post-911 epoch , it becomes impossiblenotto notice that the same masses are incline through the street from mellow - speed chases to gunfights - causing murders and mass chaos - without being fleetly identified and restrict by the hand of martial law . Of of course , an action mechanism picture is supposed to stretch reality in this sense - butSafemanages to over - stretchability things , thereby snapping us right backintoreality as we question the plausibility of what is occurring on screen .
As far as acting goes Statham carry the show , but sire help from Catherine Chan , who shows definite skill as a new Pb - with mental capacity and timing that far exceeds her years . She ’s a great foil for Luke - not so much a weepy child in distraint , more a cunningly shrewd player in a very dangerous secret plan . Between the two of them , Luke and Mei make for upstanding protagonists , with a charming curious - pair rapport .
placeable faces fill out the digest roll , including famous part actors like James Hong ( Kung Fu Panda ) as the menacing leader of the Triad;Reggie Lee ( Fast and the Furious ) as his pitiless and relentless hatchet man ; Robert John Burke ( Robocop 3 ) as a corrupt police captain ; Chris Sarandon ( The Princess Bride ) as the sickly mayor of NYC , andHell on Wheelsstar Anson Mount as the mayor ’s shadowy travelling bag man , who have sex Luke from way back . In fact , Safeplays like a who ’s who of ' seen him somewhere ' faces that come , go and result little impression beyond the bit in which Statham ’s character dispatch them .
In the remainder , Safeis probably a safer bet as a rental - but for fans of Statham - make action flick ( The Transporter , Death Race , The Mechanic , Crank ) this movie is pretty much in line with the role player ’s other oeuvre . It ai n’t too smart , it ai n’t too advanced , but it does have its magic spell and is entertain enough for what it is : an action mechanism - packed , B - movie experience .
Jason Statham as Luke Wright in ‘Safe’
Safeis now play in theaters everywhere . It is Rated R for strong violence throughout , and for language .
Safe follows former elite agent Luke Wright , played by Jason Statham , who becomes the protector of a immature Chinese young woman with a valuable mathematical code . As they put off multiple factions , including the Triads , Russian Mafia , and corrupted New York City officials , Wright finds himself reintegrate into his former life of violence . mastermind by Boaz Yakin , the pic encapsulates a in high spirits - bet narrative of selection and redemption .
Jason Statham as Luke Wright in ‘Safe’
Jason Statham and Catherine Chan in ‘Safe’
