Safe
12-year-old Mei (Catherine
Chan) is a maths genius with a
photographic memory. A human computer, she’s kidnapped from her school in
mainland China by old-school crime boss Han (James Hong)who, this being a Jason Statham movie, doesn’t
trust computers and ships her off to the Big Apple to keep the books for the
local Triads. There she’s made to
memorise a numeric code which will allow access to a vault full of cash. But the Russian mob and some dodgy cops
are after the code and, during a violent shootout, Mei escapes.
Pursued into the subway by
the Russkies, she encounters suicidal, homeless ex-cage fighter Luke Wright (Jason
Statham) who’s just about to throw
himself in front of a train but takes time out to save Mei from the Russian
gangsters who, coincidentally killed his pregnant wife and ruined his
life. One breathless, brutal
hand-to-hand battle on a packed subway train later, Luke’s found a new purpose
in life; keeping Mei safe. And
he’ll kick a lot of bad guy ass
to do it. Luckily, the whole city
seems to be out to get them, providing Luke with plenty of opportunity…
With the possible exception
of lesbian clown porn, is there a guiltier pleasure than a Jason Statham
movie? You know you’re going to
get exactly what you want; well-choreographed ultra-violence. With its blisteringly good fight scenes,
an adrenalised, high-octane car chase or two and some tense shootouts, Safe is no exception and, with a tough guy quip and a
manly twinkle, Statham delivers the goods, his biggest enemy not the battalion
of bad guys (Triads, Russian Mob, dirty cops, corrupt politicians, etc.) he
faces but logic and subtlety. Fear
not however, Statham dispatches them too, cheerfully knocking seven shades out
of them.
Safe is gleefully, nastily, over the top fun, with a
disregard for the safety of innocent bystanders that’s frankly
jaw-dropping. Recycling the plot
of 1998’s Mercury Rising,
writer/director Boaz Yakin’s script doesn’t even appear to be on nodding
acquaintance with anything approaching sense. But it doesn’t have to be. You’re not watching Safe for the intricate, Swiss-watch precision of its script, the delicate
character shading, the nuanced performances…you’re watching Safe because you want to see Statham kick people in the
face. Which he does. A lot.
Statham may just be the
perfect action star. Charismatic
and funny, he swaggers through the film immune to bullets, knives and fists,
pausing every so often to deliver a terse, hard-bitten one-liner or a
hilariously over-the-top threat, telling one gangster: “I’m going to do things
to your son that’ll make me ashamed to look in the mirror.” His relationship with the young Chan is
sweet and it’s good for once to see an imperilled child who isn’t sickeningly
cute or totally helpless. Chan’s
Mei is one tough little fortune cookie in her own right and you get the
impression that even if Luke hadn’t blundered along, she’d have managed to save
herself just fine. They’re ably
supported by scenery-chewing turns from Robert John Burke as a corrupt cop and
Chris Sarandon as a venal Guiliani-esque Mayor.
Saturday night viewing of
the highest order, Safe is a fast,
furious action flick that gives you plenty of bang for your buck and if it’s a
fun night’s viewing you’re looking for it really is up there with lesbian clown
porn. Except, you know, you can
watch it in a cinema full of people.
David Watson
Written and Directed by:
Produced by:
Starring:
Jason Statham, Catherine Chan, Chris
Sarandon, James Hong, Anson Mount, Robert
John Burke, Sandor Tecsy, Reggie Lee
Genre:
Language:
English
Runtime:
1 hour 34 minutes
Certificate:
15
UK Cinema Release Date:
Friday 4th May 2012
Rating:
4/5
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