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Before
bringing his
offbeat english charisma to Guy Richie's earlier films, Jason Statham
was an
Olympic Diver and fashion model. It's a shame that the same versatility
cannot
be said for his on screen career. The Englishman has proved he can
fly
kick with the best of them while appearing in successful action
films The
One, The Expendables and The Italian Job.
Its
when the studios bankroll Statham as the leading man that things can
turn a
little awry. Crank, The Transporter trilogy
and The
Mechanic have all been leading roles for the actor. Despite
moderate
success, they have all left the audience short on quality action
entertainment. In Safe the action star tries to
hold the
picture together, but explosions and car chases can never hide a dull
script
and muddled narrative.
Safe is
the story of Luke Wright (Jason
Staham), a troubled cage fighter and young mathematical genius Mei
(Catherine
Chan). Together they hold the combination to open the contents of a
safe wanted
by the Triads, corrupt New York Police and of course the Russian
Mob. Die
Hard: With a vengeance (1995) proved that the Big Apple
is an
amazing backdrop for action and Safe does deliver some fine action
set
pieces throughout the city. From the subway to the city streets, the
action is
very well shot and does not shy away from placing the star right in the
centre
of the violence. It is highly impressive to clearly see Statham in
frame during
the fight sequences. His athletic ability combined with razor quick
editing and
perfect camera framing is invaluable in making the action the focal
point for Safe.
Character
development
in good action films is always second to explosions and punches and
this is as
it should be. No one needs to know the insecurities of their actions
stars, but
since The Bourne trilogy Hollywood seems to think we
do. Safe takes
more than half an hour to warm up to the action movie that the trailer
promises us.
Also slowing down the first half hour is the cross narrative editing and
confusing backstory for both the main stars. Luke's backstory is
still
not entirely explained until later in the film rendering this first
half hour
slightly pointless. The dialogue throughout is adequate for a film of
this
type, but lacks any colour or action star bravado to rank it along side
classics with the usual Lethal Weapon style cocky banter. Without this
character flare you will be reaching for the popcorn or praying for
Statham
just to start punching someone again when things get quiet.
If
you are a Jason
Statham fan you are bound to get a kick out of Safe. For
those
that enjoy a little more originality with their broken bones and
bullets, maybe
wait until it is released on Blu Ray. While the actions remains
impressive, the
story and characters of Safe are incredibly dull and cardboard. Shot
for a
modest action film budget of $30 million dollars, this film will recoup
its
costs quickly. Unfortunately, this is not the vehicle to truly show off
Statham's
acting ability for playing offbeat characters or for holding the lead in an action film.
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