In 2012, Daniel Espinosa directed Safe House, an action thriller starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. In this feature, Reynolds portrays an up-and-coming CIA officer who has to protect a rogue agent named Tobin Frost (Denzel), who turns himself into the agency after retrieving a thumb drive containing vital, classified information that would expose corruption in the CIA.

The film doesn't necessarily offer anything new in the spy and espionage drama, but Denzel and Reynolds portray hardened, no-nonsense protagonists who start out as rivals but develop a complicated and convincing partnership to expose shady members of the agency. This thriller also contains plenty of action, including some physically intense fight scenes, fast-paced car chases, and shootouts.

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Denzel and Reynolds Make A Great Duo

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Denzel Washington is mostly known for starring in films involving action and drama, so he's right at home in this thriller. While his role here as Tobin Frost can be viewed as an anti-hero who strives to do what he believes is right, he is also a deadly killer who can fight and eliminate anyone who crosses him. Frost is upfront about his identity because he recognizes all the wrong he's done in his career, and the sins he's committed by murdering innocent people.

On the other hand, Ryan Reynolds has been seen mostly in romantic comedies, but this feature gives the funny Deadpool actor an opportunity to display his emotional and dramatic side. As Matt Weston, Reynolds is a tough rookie CIA agent who is determined to get out on the field. When multiple agents are gunned down at his safe house, Matt manages to escape, but his inexperience causes him to stumble multiple times in the story.

Matt tries to prove his worthiness as a field agent by taking Frost to the next available safe house so that he can be interrogated. Of course, Frost doesn't make matters easy for Matt, trying to escape and change his appearance. Both men also battle each other a couple of times. Matt wins the first round during a high-speed car chase as they are being hunted by mercenaries who want Frost dead; Frost wins the second round by punching Matt hard as both men hold each other at gunpoint.

Matt may be smart and skillful, but Frost is the expert (which is why he tells Matt that he only kills professionals). Frost also correctly anticipates that Matt has to force his girlfriend to leave him so that she isn't compromised or put in harm's way. The more Matt learns from Frost, the more the rookie realizes that life as a CIA agent is mentally and physically demanding, and personal relationships are impossible to hold on to in this dangerous profession.

An Action and Conspiracy Thriller

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One of the best elements of Espinosa's film is that the story is very much grounded in reality. Characters who can easily get hurt and shot, displaying a sense of realistic pain, blood, sweat, and tears. Frost and Matt go through hell and back to survive. The film is also an homage to conspiracy thrillers of the 1970s in terms of people who can't trust each other and question the legitimacy of the CIA and the U.S. government.

Safe House also contains elements from hard-boiled action films of the 1990s due to the physicality of the fight sequences and loud shootouts. The fast-paced camerawork is reminiscent of Tony Scott's frenetic action thrillers like Man on Fire (which also features Denzel Washington as an experienced assassin) and Enemy of the State. Of course, Safe House is mostly compared to the Jason Bourne franchise (especially the sequels directed by Paul Greengrass) because of the quick editing. However, while Matt Damon's Bourne would most likely crush Denzel and Reynolds' characters in a fight due to his speed and agility, Tobin Frost and Matt Weston hold their own in Espinosa's film.

Frost's best fight scene is against Vargas, the leader of the mercenaries. Both men exchange some hard punches in a hand-to-hand fight during a chase in South Africa. Frost ultimately shoots down Vargas in the climax, killing the mercenary for murdering his friends. Before Frost kills Vargas, he stares at his enemy for a short while (something Denzel would also do effectively in The Equalizer film series).

Weston has two intense fistfights with young crooked members of the CIA, including one portrayed by The Suicide Squad actor Joel Kinnaman (best known for his role as Rick Flag). What makes the fight scenes with Frost and Weston intriguing is how personal and emotionally invested they are. Frost gets retribution against the mercenaries who ruthlessly killed his former colleagues, and Weston takes down traitors of an agency that is filled with corruption (including his own mentor). However, Weston knows that the only way to spread change in the CIA is to work from the inside and release all the classified info Frost retrieved so that no secrets stay hidden, and all the villains are exposed.

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Safe House may appear to be a Jason Bourne or Mission: Impossible wannabe with familiar elements from other action thrillers, but Denzel and Reynolds are perfect in their roles, displaying strong men who defy the odds to defeat powerful enemies. South Africa is also an effective setting for this feature because it gives the characters space to showcase some gritty car chases, gunfights, and fight scenes. Unlike other fancy secret agent features, Espinosa's film unveils the dark and lonely nature of espionage, allowing spectators to develop sincere feelings for the characters and their stories.

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