The tagline "No one is safe" is a dead giveaway.

Walking into Safe House one expects a fast-paced action thriller, and the film embodies its promise.

Director Daniel Espinosa, best known for his award-winning short The Fighter (2003) not to be confused with the 2010 Oscar-nominated flick of the same name, and feature films Snabba Cash (2010) and Outside Love (2007), explores another story line with Safe House. Starring Denzel Washington as Tobin Frost, an ex-CIA agent and one of the most dangerous men on earth, and Ryan Reynolds as Matt Weston, a new, young CIA agent in charge of the safe house in which Frost is kept.

The film opens with shots of a crowded city, cars and people going about their daily lives. Rays of light shine down on the street from the bright South African sun. One of the wonders of the film is its beautiful portrayal and use of Cape Town, South Africa, as a backdrop to the action.

Frost, a dangerous criminal, is shown being brought into the safe house where Weston works. Suddenly, alarms sound, lights flash on and off, the security camera seems to have been turned off, men grab their guns. The safe house where Frost was brought for questioning and holding has been broken into. Everyone is shot. Weston, the only man left, takes the advice of Frost himself: grabs his gun, the criminal and escapes.

This last scene sets the stage for the rest of the film. Weston must now keep his hold on Frost until more forces come: the film portrays his struggle as he is left alone to watch the a wanted criminal, who surpasses him both in age and experience. In this way the film shows more than just a riveting fast-paced action thriller with fights, crashes and high-speed chases; it also highlights the interesting and complex relationship that emerges between Weston and Frost. Their relationship is as dynamic as the locations involved in the film—they go from strangers to enemies, two "agents" to a criminal and his captor. Washington plays his part perfectly, embodying the prowess of his character, evading America's most intense forces, and unlike his usual position as a laudable hero, he maintains a dark twist essential to playing such a man.

Reynolds, on the other hand, seems the opposite of Washington. His look, although loved by the media and girls everywhere, was a little more "boy-next-door" than crime-fighting agent. Although this reflects Weston as the unlikely hero, a fresh young agent, inexperienced in the field, he was just a little too pure and innocent to be believable.

The film, although it does capture and comment on the interesting relationship between criminal and captor, lacks tension. It is well-done and exciting, but the story line focuses a little too much on the chase and less on development of peripheral characters. Throughout the film, Weston and Frost are really the only characters which the audience can understand and relate to. That said, Safe House, although not spectacular in any way, is definitely an enjoyable watch that keeps the audience at the edge of their seats.