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Mafia (22),
Safe, Movie

Safe 2012

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She has the code. He has the key.

Jason Statham stars in this crime-thriller about a washed-up cage fighter tangled in a lockout between the Russian Mafia, the Triads and the NYPD after saving an ophaned girl whose memory holds a priceless numerical code. More

After Luke (Statham) screws up a rigged fight, the Russian Mafia want to make an example of him and murder his entire family. Haunted by guilt, he wanders New York destitute. But when he witnesses a 12-year-old girl, Mei, being pursued by the same gangsters, Luke jumps to action and straight into the heart of a deadly high-stakes war. Mei, he discovers, is an orphaned math prodigy forced to work for the Triads as a "counter." She holds in her memory a priceless numerical code that warring factions will kill for. Hide

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111 votes / 19 comments The Talk

  • 74 %

    Want to See it

    What say you?

    • RED

      Ban it.

    • trudie

      i will reserve judgement until i see it.

    • ksf

      JS = HOT!!!

    • Garit

      As long as its not like BLITZ will defiently watch

    • Rob

      In what world do they actually think that the voice over guy is good for these films... he screams B grade movie!

    • bob

      again stath?

    • dago Bob

      will go and see it but really stath really

    • Mark

      Transporter 24 or something like it. Even has an asian girl.

    • ...

      Jason "typecast" Statham

    • Jemma

      This seems like a dumbed down version of Mercury Rising

    • reetz

      oh yeah...Soooooo watch this.

    • RexH

      Definitely a must-see!

    • dinx

      hell yea go Jason..

    • Community

      sure, staths looks cool in it, but a code soo important that they tell only a 12 yr old and nothing else? floored premise right there surely

    • zepher360

      This will be good J

    • Risk

      looks great

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Flicks.co.nz Review

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Aaron Yap Flicks Writer

There’s a weirdly wondrous moment at the beginning of Safe that’s probably one of the best visual approximations of 'squeezing blood from a stone' I can think of: Jason Statham, on his knees, crushed by the brutal murder of his wife and surrounded by taunting Russian heavies, looks straight on as the camera slowly closes in on his face and a drop of tear falls from his eye. It may be the most vulnerable bit of screen acting yet for the Brit action tough guy, whose roles over the years - The Transporter, The Mechanic, Crank, et al - have made no excuses about their interchangeability. More

But while his ex-cage-fighter/cop Luke Wright goes through a fair range of emotional states early on, being suicidal, alone and homeless, Safe doesn’t quite mark Statham’s breakthrough into the Dramatic Thespian arena just yet. That’s a good thing though, otherwise we might not have the pleasure of watching him making quips about the size of his balls and leaving a string of smashed tracheas and bullet-ridden bodies across Manhattan as he tries to protect a mega-brained 11-year Chinese girl named Mei (Catherine Chan) from the Triads, the Russian mob and the cops.

Writer/director Boaz Yakin, who debuted with the gritty coming-of-age crime drama Fresh, and somewhere along the line detoured into fluff like Uptown Girls, relies too much on the swooshy hand-held 'chaos cinema' camerawork of recent vintage to generate mayhem, but the film also has a distinctly old-school Steven Seagal-circa-Out for Justice vibe that makes all that easier to tolerate. Unfortunately Yakin never builds on the Luke/Mei chemistry, separating them for a good deal of the film, thus diminishing our emotional engagement. The frantic energy also dissipates in the final third when the plot (initially a serviceable MacGuffin) thickens into a pretty boring and convoluted 'revelation' involving New York City’s powers that be. Still - great to see James Hong alive and kicking. Hide

The People's Reviews

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2 ratings and 2 reviews

All reviews (2)

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Stathe plays it safe in, er, 'Safe'...

adamatdramatrain Flicks Superstar (?)

If you like the rapidly expanding action-flick subgenre that is the Jason Statham movie, then you're safe with, er, 'Safe.' Writer / Director Boaz Yakin is less of a safe bet. His writing credits include such overblown yawnfests as 'Prince of Persia,' and 'Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,' and his directing credits include 'Fresh' and 'Remember the Titans' - so who knows what to expect? What you get is surprisingly fast, fun and leave-your-brain-behind entertainment in a macho, sub-'Die Hard,' Jason Statham kinda way. The Stathe finds himself protecting a young mathematically gifted Chinese girl from the Triads, Russian Mafia and corrupt New York cops; and must fend off baddies from all three whilst finding time to make cheese-baked wisecracks worthy of Roger Moore's Bond. To accuse 'Safe' of being predictable formulaic fare is like accusing margarine of being easier to spread than a block of butter straight out of the fridge, but where 'Safe' excels is in cracking cinematography by Stefan Czapsky (who shot Tim Burton's 'Ed Wood', 'Batman Returns,' and 'Edward Scissorhands') and hyper-kinetic editing by Frederic Thoraval (editor of 'Taken' and 'District 13.') I haven't seen editing this fast and furious and desperate to call attention to itself since Tony Scott's 'Domino.' One chase/escape scene in a car recalls the all-in-one-take action style of the excellent 'Children of Men,' as the Statham knocks a stuntman down with the front of his car and we watch from inside as the poor chap rolls over and his limp body appears in the rearview mirror. So, for film fans, the transitions are a joy to behold and the whole movie whizzes along with a dynamism reminiscent of that other entertaining (if bonkers) Statham actioner, 'Crank' - only 'Safe' doesn't play it as much for laughs. All in all? It's typical Statham fare. Don't go expecting anything too deep. You'll find no well-rounded characters or political insight here. This ain't philosophy. It's car chases, gunfights and martial arts - shot with style and edited with panache. Safe to say, 'Safe' will keep Statham fans of Jason vehicles such as 'Transporter,' Transporter 2' and the imaginatively titled, um, 'Transporter 3' happy; action audiences entertained and cineastes scratching their goatees as to what all the fuss is about... Three solid action-packed, rippling torso, mighty biceped stars.

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Safe as cipher houses

RealityCheck Flicks Superstar (?)

Double entendre if ever there was. Well, not that I liked it that much (great pop-corn action) but I got exactly what I thought I was going to get, a splash of 'Death Race' with 'Crank', 'Mechanic' and 'Transporter2'. With the lines Jason delivers, he does it better with his shirt off (right ladies), otherwise shame Ryan Gosling couldnt manage this role like he did so well in 'Drive'. Action flick with masses of car chases, gun fights and verbal banter. The usual suspects for the villians, playing the roles they know well.
Genre : Action, police crime, drama, redemption
4/5 : not that I particularly liked it that much, bit ho-hum, with more shooting than storyline, but Statham does what he does best.

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Press Reviews

A.V. Club (USA)

The character-building is proffered in bad faith, like every scene in Safe that doesn't involve bloodshed. Statham can sell a punch, but not his own vulnerability. Full review.

Empire (UK)

A rough, exhausting, exhilarating action picture with a payoff which would have delighted Sam Fuller or Howard Hawks. The Stath — an actual Olympian, remember — is on top form. Full review.

Entertainment Weekly (USA)

Safe has more action than intrigue (or logic), and it's boilerplate vicious. It may satisfy Statham's fans, but they - like he - would do well to enlarge their expectations. Full review.

Hollywood Reporter

Though Safe initially seems a little darker and more thoughtful than the British star's previous comic-book escapades in 'Death Race,' 'The Expendables' or the 'Transporter' trilogy, it ultimately reverts to testosterone-heavy formula. Full review.

New York Times

If only someone would offer this actor a project worthy of the full range of his talent. Full review.

Time Out New York

You can’t help feeling that an initially adventurous movie has had its rough edges sanded away. Full review.

Total Film (UK)

With Yakin's all-action plot operating like clockwork, an on-song Statham proves anything but expendable in a genre he dominates. Predictable, sure, but equally pleasurable. Full review.

Variety (USA)

What starts out crisp and promising gives way to a conventional shoot-'em-up. Full review.