Tag Archives: Ryan Reynolds

Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds aren’t safe from anyone (including each other) in “Safe House”

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Denzel Washington doesn’t usually play downright evil guys. But when he does, he does it well. Perhaps too well, considering that his despicable portrayal of a dirty cop in 2001’s Training Day won him the Academy Award for Best Actor.

In Safe House, Washington is back to his devious ways, this time as Tobin Frost, a rogue Central Intelligence Agency defector who has been trading government secrets for the past decade. Though he has evaded capture by living completely off the grid during this time, he suddenly walks into a United States Embassy building in South Africa and turns himself in while being chased by people who don’t want his latest intel acquisition getting into the wrong hands. Seems crazy, right? Well, Frost is a bit crazy, which is partially why he’s been able to get away with the damage he’s done since leaving the CIA.

Frost is soon taken to a safe house, where aspiring agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) has been waiting for his opportunity to break out of this dead-end position and prove his worth. He immediately recognizes Frost, not only as the most dangerous man in the world, but also as just the opportunity he’s been looking for. But before Frost even has a chance to be debriefed, the safe house is attacked by the same mercenaries that were after Frost at the beginning of the film. Weston and Frost escape, and for the rest of the film they strike a balance between looking out for each other while also maintaining their own self perservation. Frost’s objective is, of course, to regain his freedom and make a lot of money off the information he has obtained. Weston’s is simply to bring Frost in, establishing his career as a CIA agent with the capture of one of the world’s most wanted men.

It is this balancing act that keeps the viewer engaged, with the relationship between the two men turning into a passing of the torch of sorts as Weston refuses to back down from Frost’s intimidating demeanor. Safe House‘s tension is also elevated by the subtle use of sounds, with the faint buzzing of flies becoming just as important as a deafening gunshot. But the interaction between Washington and Reynolds (much like that between Washington and Ethan Hawke in Training Day) is a palpable torch passing of another kind as the veteran actor helps elevate the already established younger actor to new levels.

Though the nature of their relationship makes them natural adversaries, Frost and Weston grow to respect each other, with the younger agent learning that if he really wants to move up in such a cutthroat business, he’ll have to resort to some pretty nefarious acts in order to keep up with all the other self-interested members of the agency. But in much the same way the two men have to balance their own best interests, Weston eventually figures out a way to get what he wants without completely betraying his country (and he own ethics) the way Frost felt compelled to do.

Safe House. Directed by Daniel Espinosa. Starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. Rated R. www.nooneissafe.com.

Review by Jonathan Williams

 

“Green Lantern” glows with action despite dim plot

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When it comes to the hierarchy of the DC Universe, the Green Lantern Corps has always been on the periphery of popularity behind the likes of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. But just as Marvel has elevated some of its B-level heroes to blockbuster status over the past few years, DC finally gives the most well-known bearer of the Green Lantern ring, Hal Jordan, the big screen treatment with Green Lantern (opening today).

While most of the other recent comic-to-screen translations have tried to legitimize the genre with accomplished directors, respectable actors, well-written scripts and believable takes on otherwise unbelievable source material, Green Lantern (for the most part) is pure CGI-filled escapism. Plot-wise, Green Lantern is surprisingly similar to that other recent superhero hit Thor, with Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) playing a cocky, arrogant and irresponsible test pilot whose Top Gun-like showboating causes problems for pretty much everyone around him. Despite being a seemingly undeserving wearer of the powerful Green Lantern ring, the ring chooses him after its previous wearer dies after battling the fear-mongering, planet-destroying entity known as Parallax (whose guttural growl sounds like the guy from monster truck commercials, thanks to veteran voice actor Clancy Brown).

Borrowing heavily from the original Superman movie (especially in scenes with Jordan and his love interest Carol Ferris, played by Blake Lively) and Star Wars (with the Green Lantern Corps home base of Oa looking like the Mos Eisley Cantina on steroids), Green Lantern has a hard time establishing an identity of its own. And though Reynolds certainly looks the part of the Jordan character previously seen in comics and cartoons, his portrayal of the character comes across a bit hokey, especially when he finally proves his worth as a Green Lantern by overcoming his own shortcomings and inner demons.

Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) learns to wield the power of the Green Lantern

Green Lantern‘s supporting cast, which includes Angella Bassett, Tim Robbins, Geoffrey Rush and British actor Mark Strong as Sinestro, gives the film a little bit of acting clout. And Peter Sarsgaard, who starts off looking a little like Paul Giamatti and ends up looking more like the Elephant Man after being infected with Parallax’s power, definitely turns in an impressive performance as the nerdy professor Hector Hammond. But for some reason, none of that ever totally makes up for the cliched plot and lack of character development.

Oa's intergalactic Green Lantern Corps

Visually, however, Green Lantern has all the makings of a blockbuster summer spectacle, with plenty of glitzy battles that make their way from the deepest, darkest regions of outer space to Jordan’s earthly hometown of Coast City and back out to the edge of the sun’s gravitational pull. Director Martin Campbell is clearly going more for Michael Bay-like action and suspension of disbelief than Christopher Nolan-like seriousness, which reminds us that comic books (and their film adaptations) sometimes still need to be more about escapism than intellectualism.

Green Lantern. Directed by Martin Campbell. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard and Mark Strong. Rated PG-13. www.greenlanternmovie.warnerbros.com.

Review by Jonathan Williams