Jason Statham is back in yet another bone-crunching, gun blazing action movie.
There is even more action than is suggested by the trailer. Like many others of its ilk, Safe won't win any Oscars, but it is loads of fun and another opportunity to watch Jason in action.
The beginning section of the movie seems a little disjointed as it strings together the paths of the characters played by Jason and the Chinese girl Catherine Chan, but once the premise has been set, the accelerator hits the floor and we are locked and loaded for action.
The feeling and simplicity of plot hearkens back to the late 80's and early 90's action movies. You could imagine Van Damme playing a role like this in those glory days; there is a feel of an updated Cannon Group/Golan Globus in this movie. There's a surprising amount of emotion in Jason's character and he's not the usual 'invincible special ops' guy played by Seagal. The partnering of Jason and Catherine could have been schmalzed-out but it is played with restraint. And the only eye-candy in this movie is the long-legged hooker he engages for a brief moment. Apart from that, it is all about the action.
Seen only briefly in the trailer is the eternally 60something James Hong, but he plays a lead role. I keep expecting him to roll around in a wheelchair looking like a corpse, or wear a white snow suit and clean android eyeballs. But his role is solid and important, and it's good to see some of the old guard in these new movies.
I'll gladly give the crew of Safe some more of my money when the DVD comes out. It's well directed, decently scripted and the action just rolls on and on.
