Safe
3/4
Starring: Jason Statham, Catherine Chan, Reggie Lee, Robert John Burke, James Hong, Chris Sarandon, Anson Mount
Rated R for Strong Violence Throughout, and for Language
The good news about Boaz Yakin's new film is that, for all its flaws, it's infinitely better than his last feature, the unspeakably bad art-porn "Death in Love." Although Yakin has the unfortunate tendency to shake the camera frenetically, he does raise the adrenaline level to acceptable standards. For those who crave lots and lots of R-rated violence, this will fit the bill.
The plot is little more than a thread that allows Jason Statham to do what he does best: kick major ass. And believe me, he does. The body count is in the high double digits, and it comes close to matching "Shoot 'Em Up" in terms of bullets fired (albeit without the humor).
In any event, the plot involves a little girl named Mei (Chan), who has what appears to be a photographic memory. She is kidnapped to work for a Triad named Han Jiao (Hong), who has her memorize a series of numbers. En route to the next set of numbers, she is kidnapped by the Russian mob, who also want the numbers. But Mei escapes and ends up on the subway. There she finds Luke Wright (Statham), a down and out ex-cop intending to jump in front of a train. But the Russians are after her and he saves her life. Now it's them against the Triads, the Russian mob and a quartet of corrupt cops led by Wolf (Burke).
The plot doesn't always make a lot of sense, but action fans will get what they pay for. Statham blows bad guys away by the truckload, the violence is sufficiently brutal, and not a lot of brainpower is required to get from beginning to end.
Jason Statham usually plays one role: the ass-kicking Brit. Filmmakers and fans demand that, and only that, and he delivers. Statham brings on the badassness, but he adds a little more sympathy and emotion than usual. This isn't Oscar-worthy material by any means, but he shows that he is capable of more than pulling triggers, throwing punches and tossing off one-liners (which he does in this movie from time to time, but none of them are especially witty). Newcomer Catherine Chan is lovable without being annoying. She's a natural actress. James Hong, Chris Sarandon, Anson Mount and Robert John Burke are on hand to add some villainy as well. Interestingly enough, two of the corrupt cops have done stints on "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit." James Colby has guested on two episodes and Burke has the recurring role of the slimy Internal Affairs officer Sgt. Ed Tucker.
The bad thing about this movie is that Yakin imitates Paul Greengrass when he films the action sequences. The camera has a moderate seizure every time a gun fires, although it is possible to see what is going on. Still, I think the suspense would increase had he kept it still.
Starring: Jason Statham, Catherine Chan, Reggie Lee, Robert John Burke, James Hong, Chris Sarandon, Anson Mount
Rated R for Strong Violence Throughout, and for Language
The good news about Boaz Yakin's new film is that, for all its flaws, it's infinitely better than his last feature, the unspeakably bad art-porn "Death in Love." Although Yakin has the unfortunate tendency to shake the camera frenetically, he does raise the adrenaline level to acceptable standards. For those who crave lots and lots of R-rated violence, this will fit the bill.
The plot is little more than a thread that allows Jason Statham to do what he does best: kick major ass. And believe me, he does. The body count is in the high double digits, and it comes close to matching "Shoot 'Em Up" in terms of bullets fired (albeit without the humor).
In any event, the plot involves a little girl named Mei (Chan), who has what appears to be a photographic memory. She is kidnapped to work for a Triad named Han Jiao (Hong), who has her memorize a series of numbers. En route to the next set of numbers, she is kidnapped by the Russian mob, who also want the numbers. But Mei escapes and ends up on the subway. There she finds Luke Wright (Statham), a down and out ex-cop intending to jump in front of a train. But the Russians are after her and he saves her life. Now it's them against the Triads, the Russian mob and a quartet of corrupt cops led by Wolf (Burke).
The plot doesn't always make a lot of sense, but action fans will get what they pay for. Statham blows bad guys away by the truckload, the violence is sufficiently brutal, and not a lot of brainpower is required to get from beginning to end.
Jason Statham usually plays one role: the ass-kicking Brit. Filmmakers and fans demand that, and only that, and he delivers. Statham brings on the badassness, but he adds a little more sympathy and emotion than usual. This isn't Oscar-worthy material by any means, but he shows that he is capable of more than pulling triggers, throwing punches and tossing off one-liners (which he does in this movie from time to time, but none of them are especially witty). Newcomer Catherine Chan is lovable without being annoying. She's a natural actress. James Hong, Chris Sarandon, Anson Mount and Robert John Burke are on hand to add some villainy as well. Interestingly enough, two of the corrupt cops have done stints on "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit." James Colby has guested on two episodes and Burke has the recurring role of the slimy Internal Affairs officer Sgt. Ed Tucker.
The bad thing about this movie is that Yakin imitates Paul Greengrass when he films the action sequences. The camera has a moderate seizure every time a gun fires, although it is possible to see what is going on. Still, I think the suspense would increase had he kept it still.
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