Safe (I) (2012) User Reviews (184)

'Safe' Review - Jason Statham, enough said.

[chrisvales · 6/10 · 24 April 2012]

After watching the trailer when it was first released, I didn't feel what I always feel when I see Jason Statham in an action movie, which is giddy. There was something missing, but how can I say no to Jason Statham in an action packed movie? I just can't. 'Safe' ended up being good. Not great, just good. The beginning was a little slow, but the way they told the story, was a bit of bouncing back between Luke Wright (Jason Statham) and Mei (Caroline Chan), so it didn't really come out running, but I guess I can't complain too much about it because it definitely picked up after. As I stated earlier, how can I say no to Jason Statham in an action movie. The action was amazing. It's that kind of action where the audience is either clapping or yelling, "Ooooohhhh snap!!!" followed by some laughing. The storyline was decent, I mean, it didn't really stand out and there are a few scenes where you can probably figure out what's going to happen, but it got the job done. The acting was sub-par once you take out Jason Statham and Catherine Chan (Mei), who I thought did a really good job for her first Hollywood movie. There were a few cheesy lines, some epic quotes, one of which I put in the subject title and I'm sure you'll enjoy it too when you hear it and some funny moments; more than you usually expect from an action movie, which wasn't so bad.

'Safe' is your typical Jason Statham action flick. I think it's fair to say, we don't watch Jason Statham movies expecting Oscar nominations; we watch his movies mainly because the action is phenomenal. If you want to watch a good, action packed movie, then 'Safe' is a safe bet this weekend. See what I did there?

Statham always a 'Safe' bet

[Fluke_Skywalker · 6/10 · 28 June 2013]

After a decade of indifference, I've started to come around a bit on Jason Statham. He's like the McDonald's of actors. Let me explain.

McDonald's makes Big Macs, each and every one identical in looks and taste to the other. Jason Statham makes Jason Statham movies, each and every one identical... you get the idea. And also like Big Macs, some of his movies are fresher than others. Safe qualifies as one of his fresher efforts. Not hot off the grill fresh, but not 20 minutes under a heat lamp either.

Tightly paced, competently acted and filled with slightly above average fight scenes, Safe is the kind of movie that will satiate you until a tastier movie comes along.

Entertaining yet forgettable

[Pycs · 6/10 · 3 May 2012]

'Safe' is the latest vehicle to showcase Jason Statham's ability to punch, kick, and shoot various henchmen. The plot here plays more of a role than compared to past JS films, as this one involves a young Chinese girl with a brilliant memory who's wanted by both the Russian and Chinese mob, aided by corrupt cops, and it's just to a down-on-his-luck Jason Statham to save the day.

When watching a film like this, suspending your disbelief is a must, which is just a given. Things happen in this movie that not only wouldn't be possible, but you wonder how some characters can escape out of situations not only alive, but untouched. But this was actually one of my favorite Stathom movies in a while. I despised his recents efforts in throwaway films like The Mechanic and Killer Elite. It hasn't been since Transporter 3, another mindless romp, that I've enjoyed one of films this much.

The film's worth seeing if you're an action movie fan with some time to kill, in sort of a Sunday afternoon stay at home type of way. You'll cringe at the acting and dialogue of the little Chinese girl, but you'll be entertained.

'SAFE' is a safe bet for Jason Statham fans!

[Hellmant · 7/10 · 15 May 2012]

'SAFE': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Jason Statham action vehicle written and directed by Boaz Yakin. Yakin's previous directing efforts include 'REMEMBER THE TITANS', 'UPTOWN GIRLS' and 'FRESH', so a B action film starring Jason Statham is an interesting choice for the filmmaker. The story revolves around Statham playing an ex-cagefighter who's made enemies with the Russian mob and corrupt NYC police department that comes to the aid of a young girl wanted by both. The movie is surprisingly unsentimental and a pretty hard hitting action film. Statham fans should be more than pleased.

Statham plays Luke Wright, a small time MMA fighter who fails to throw a fight and pisses off everyone who was betting against him, including the Russian mob. The mobsters kill his wife and threaten him with the knowledge that he'll always be watched and anyone he befriends or even comes in to contact with will be killed. So he travels the streets of New York City alone, depressed and ready to kill himself until he meets a young girl named Mei (Catherine Chan) in need of his help. Mei is an eleven-year-old mathematical genius who was forced to work for the Triad and now holds the code to an important safe in her head. She's wanted by the Triad, Russian Mafia and corrupt NYC cops. Luke takes it upon himself to help her and of course finds a new reason to live.

The premise and adds could lead you to believe that this is another cheesy and sappy action star befriending kid film but Jason Statham fans can rejoice in the fact that he doesn't take that path. Statham is a much more respectable and high moraled movie tough guy than the likes of The Rock and Vin Diesel. At least thus far in his career he can't be labeled a sellout. This film is about as violent and brutal as any film Statham has done. Thanks in large part to Yakin's decent directing. The script could have used some work; it's routine and lacking bite. The story of Statham befriending the little Chinease girl does still have some heart and emotion though, but just the right amount. As far as Statham action films go this one is about average. Exactly what I expect from one, no more and no less.

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Fast paced action, wrapped into a decent story.

[Oliver-S-K · 7/10 · 11 June 2012]

Mei (Catherine Chan) is a little genius when it comes to numbers. She can remember everything and calculate anything in her mind. That's why she's very valuable for the Chinese Triads, who use her as a computer that can't be hacked or traced. One day, she's asked to memorize a long number and drive to another place to learn a different one. But the Russian mob steps in and assaults her ride, killing almost everyone. Mei can escape and this is when she meets Luke Wright (Jason Statham). Former elite cop, former small time MMA fighter, on the run from the Russian mob who lost a bunch of money for betting against him in a match and killed his wife in revenge. The will to protect this little girl gives him a new will to live, a drive to go on. And so they run away; away from the Triads, the mob and the corrupt NYPD, trying to figure out why everyone wants either those numbers or her death.

It's a bit of Mercury Puzzle and 16 Blocks. And despite my usual fears, the story did not turn cheesy due to the kid. But the girl didn't turn into an unrealistic bad ass as well. Also they did not develop a forced deep relationship between Luke and Mei, which would be unrealistic, considering that the story doesn't go that long. The film is featuring fast paced action, wrapped into a decent (though not great) story and is supported by good acting. Well, at least good acting from the leading characters, but the supporting ones weren't that bad as well, so you don't have to suffer from it. So overall, a quite enjoyable movie, which I would recommend to fans of story driven action movies and especially to all Statham fans.

Just for fun, let's check the Statham clichés. Shirtless? Yep, first time you see him in the movie. Car-chase? Of course. And when Mei was a bit concerned about his driving style, I was just waiting for a comeback from him that was like "Don't worry kid, I've been doing this for several movies now."

Not as witty as a Statham movie usually is, but just as action packed and just as awesome.

[noeldarling3 · 7/10 · 8 May 2012]

Cast: OK, I love Statham. Every role he has done, yes even in "In The Name Of The King", is almost perfection. Now just because he is awesome , doesn't mean that the movies he is in are, just like "In The Name Of The King". Recently though his movies all seem to be the same kind of film and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Lots of action, lots of cheese and some story that involves a rogue badass, aka Statham. I say all that but anyone else in this/those roles and the film wouldn't work. But anyway more on the film in a mo, Statham plays against a little girl played by Catherine Chan, who is awesome, to say she is a child actress. Not much on the rest of the cast, but mentions for James Hong's (known for Kung Fu Panda, Balls Of Glory) mob boss and Robert John Burke's Captain Wolfe.

Overview: Like i mentioned earlier, fans of movies like The Mechanic, Blitz, Crank or Transporter, will probably keep on liking this. It's packed full of gun fights, karate/fist fights, explosions, car chases and Statham's signature grunting voice. The story itself is mixed. the whole thing with the girl, i like. People do have photogenic memories, and like James Hong says sending messages via computers is risky. So using the girl i get. The whole gangs fighting each other and corrupt cops is old news so all is right there. The one thing that troubled me was when the explained Statham's history. At one point he was just a cop, then he's some kind of Bane like experiment, didn't get that at all, but other than that the film is very fast paced, and wraps up nicely.

The opening 10 minuets of this film i really liked. They managed to set the story up of the two leads by mirroring their plot's. The girl is in a car, Statham is in a car, they both go to sleep…etc and i really enjoyed it. This movie doesn't really offer anything new to the action genre, but neither does it fail.

Recommend: Statham fans yes, everyone else meh.

Overall: 7/10 For more of my reviews head to http://www.facebook.com/noelfilmreviews

Not bad. Kept me entertained

[0U · 23 February 2020]

Safe - Quick Review: Safe is a very interesting movie starring Jason Statham who gives a very good performance.Also this movie has good directing with not-so-well shot action but the sound effects are awesome nonetheless.The story while a bit cliche,is still very interesting until the very end.I really enjoyed this movie it's certainly one of the better Statham action flicks overall.

Great Brainless Action Movie with a Messy Lead Character

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 6 October 2012]

In China, the girl Mei (Catherine Chan) is a genius that looks like a computer in numbers. She is abducted by the Chinese Triads and the boss Han Jiao (James Hong) sends Mei to Chinatown, in New York, to help him in the control of his activities.

Meanwhile, the fighter Luke Wright (Jason Statham) has his life destroyed when he wins a fight against the will of the Russian Mafia and accidentally kills his opponent. The Russian mobsters kill his wife and the alcoholic Luke wanders on the streets and hostels with no objective in life.

One day, Han Jiao asks Mei to memorize a long number and soon the Russian Mafia abducts the girl from the Chinese mobs. She escapes from the mobsters she is chased by the Russians; by the corrupt detectives from the NYPD; and by the Triads. When Luke sees the girl fleeing from the Russian mobs in the subway, he protects the girl and discovers that the number she had memorized is the combination of a safe where the Triads keep 30 million dollars. Luke is an elite agent and uses his skills to protect the girl.

"Safe" is a great brainless action movie with a messy lead character. The situation of an old boss from the Chinese Triads that does not trust in computers but trusts in the ability of a young girl that has been abducted from her family is stupid. But the lead character Luke Wright is a complete mess: the guy is a killer and elite agent that has his life completely destroyed when he feels sorrow for killing his opponent and irritates the Russian Mafia. Then he passively accepts the death of his wife by the Russian mobsters. But out of the blue, he rekindles his personality to protect a stranger Chinese girl in the subway. This situation is laughable when the viewer sees the past and connections of Luke with the corrupt detectives of the NYPD. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Código" ("The Code")

Pure cinematic entertainment

[wighfive · 9/10 · 24 April 2012]

saw the public screening of Safe in a film festival.Frankly speaking I was stunned by the movie.Simple plot but the twists and turns in the movie were amazing.I will not reveal the plot details because you will loose interest in it.It's slick,stylish and high on acting and visual effects.

Jason is the man who reigns supreme in this film and leaves a strong impression on the audiences mind with his stellar performance. His smile, dialogue delivery and every expression deserves a bow.

The director Boaz Yakin handles the scenes well and never lets the adrenaline rush or the script to fall flat. He keeps the audiences glued to their seat and this versatile man gives as a slick action thriller which is far better than Haywire,The Mechanic or Killer Elite.

The script is well written and every scene is well handled. Dialogues are brilliant and none of the scene fall flat. No unnecessary toilet humour and soundtracks have made the film even more appealing.

Safe is an amazing movie with unforgettable action scene and car chase sequences and one of the best of Jason Statham. Highly Recommended.

Action packed

[kushalashok · 7/10 · 17 April 2014]

If you like action packed movies, there is a lot in store for you.

Jason has impressed us with his exceptional martial arts display and thus of course the story revolves around his physical and mental abilities. This movie sets an example by showcasing that a single man can change the whole game if he gets messed up.

We all understand the pain of losing our love or at least the feeling or fear of losing the ones that we love. This story is about a person who loses everyone that he loves in this world and then finds a person in a similar situation who is a small girl with exceptional intellectual skills. This deadly combination will give you enough to think about, so go watch this one.

My favorite quote from this movie: "One day at a time"

Entertaining action flick while it's on.... quickly forgotten afterwards.

[barnabyrudge · 5/10 · 8 May 2012]

Some actors simply aren't versatile and spend their entire careers sticking to what they do best. Can you imagine, for example, Steven Seagal in a stage farce or Hugh Grant in a martial arts flick? They do what they're good at, keeping fans around the world happy… but neither of them display that chameleon-like ability to slip from one challenging role to another in the way the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis or Robert De Niro seem so adept. So it is when you walk into a Jason Statham movie. Before the film even begins you know there's going to be fighting and shooting, car chases and slow motion action, baddies being dispatched with cool one-liners, and so on and so forth. It's pointless going in expecting anything else, and just as pointless grumbling as you head for the exit about the plot being too derivative, or the dialogue too cheesy, or that it was all action and nothing else. Safe is a film which is pretty much described by its own title - it is indeed a totally safe action flick, with every character, situation and plot development as familiar as the back of your hand. Director Boaz Yakin makes no effort to disguise the clichés, opting instead to concentrate on noisy spectacle in the Michael Bay/Jerry Bruckheimer tradition. All good and well, if that's the kind of thing that floats your boat.

The story rather resembles movies like Man On Fire and Mercury Rising in the sense that it features a gifted child being hunted by villains, with help coming from a lone protector who happens to be pretty impossible to kill. This time it's a young Chinese girl named Mei (Catherine Chan), a mathematical genius taken from her ill mother and sent to America to work as a "counter" for the Triads in New York. Mei is given a seemingly random list of numbers to memorise, but suddenly becomes the target of the Russian Mafia and a team of corrupt cops. It transpires that the numbers contain a code which will unlock a safe containing $30 million and there are plenty willing to kill to get to the fortune. Mei goes on the run, pursued by enemies from all sides who want the information she alone carries. Enter down-and-out bum Luke Wright (Jason Staham), formerly a cop, more recently a cage fighter, whose life has descended into suicidal depths of depression after the murder of his wife. On the verge of putting an end to his misery once and for all, Luke is offered a chance of redemption when he saves Mei from her pursuers. Suddenly he's back in the game he knows best, rampaging through the city with cops, Russian mobsters and Chinese hit men hot on his trail.

The opening twenty minutes or so are a real mess, with some rushed non-chronological plot exposition and the briefest sketching-in of character. Things pick up once Mei and Luke team up to outwit the bad guys, for it is here when Yakin gets to unleash his thunderous action. No-one will come away from the film thinking they've just witnessed something innovative and ground-breaking. Nor will anyone be writing letters of complaint to the Academy when they overlook these performances at the announcement of next year's Oscar nominations. Safe is what it is…. a big, dumb action movie for the boys, with a kill-count that Mei herself might have trouble keeping track of, and sufficient mayhem to keep genre addicts happy. Efficient entertainment while it lasts, but you'll have forgotten it by the next day.

Safe Works

[jon.h.ochiai · 8/10 · 29 April 2012]

Ironically, the most frustrating aspect of "Safe" is reading the streaming subtitles for Russian and Chinese. Being that I speak neither I'm straining to absorb the detailed dialogue and narrative threads. Yes, Director and Writer Boaz Yakin's story is far from complex, but you forget that the words really don't matter here. Jason Statham is the badass with a big heart protecting a young Chinese girl prodigy played by Catherine Chan from the Russian mob and the Triad, because she memorized a series of numbers that accesses dire information. Much of "Safe" is sheer brute force. Statham's signature strike to the bad guy's trachea punctuates this. Statham's fighting sequences are high impact and resonate with awesome speed and power.

Curiously, many critics slam Statham and Yakin for doing formulae and not stretching Statham's range. This is craftsman-like formulae. Statham delivers the action we want to see on screen. The fight scenes in the Russian and Triad clubs are amazing. I particularly loved the scene where Statham's Luke meets Chan's Mei in the New York subway. Statham viciously disposes the Russian thugs after Mei with hooks, kicks, throws, and joint shattering locks. He is the best martial arts action star right now. He always offsets his physical elegance and power with a gruff austere visage. I think he actually displays more of his humanity than in other movies. He tears as he surrenders himself to the men who murdered his wife and child. What makes "Safe" work is Statham and Chan's gentle bond.

Chan is more than just the cute kid in peril. She makes Mei even smarter than she lets on. She is the math genius forced to memorize a series of numbers. In a quiet scene Mei tells Luke, "They are not random." Luke gets, "They're a code." Don't under estimate the enrollment of Statham as protector of Chan. Chan's Mei confesses to Luke, "I don't need another father. I need a friend." I loved when Luke tells Mei that she will be safe "until my dying day".

When we meet Luke (Statham) in the present and through a series of flashbacks, he appears as a second rate cage fighter, now homeless. He mistakenly floors a YouTube sensation (nice touch by Yakin) in a fight, and puts him in the hospital. The Russian mob kills his wife and unborn child, because he did not throw the match. A lot does not add up. Luke is a world class fighter. There is more to his pathology that the script should have shaded. It turns out Luke was one of the toughest cops in the city, who had honor in a corrupt police force. More so his relationship with evil Chris Sarandon as Mayor Tremello hints at Luke's darker origins as Black Ops assassin. Luke's former partner now enemy Alex (charismatic Anson Mount) is the sellout who still works for the Mayor. Mei (Chan) is the innocent math prodigy brought over to the States to work for the Triads. Leader Han (paternally evil James Hong) has Mei memorize vital numbers, not trusting computers and the like.

At his lowest point Luke sees Mei in the subway and from his point of view Luke sees that she saves his life. He also realizes that Mei is being chased by members of the Russian mob that he knows all too well. Yakin is clumsy here in the narrative synchronicity. I buy it, because I want to see Statham kick some ass. Really, I was in with the touching chemistry of Statham and Chan. They have an understated love for each other. Mei, who is beholding to Luke, confesses, "We save each other…"

In the great showdown of good and powerful evil, I initially thought I was short changed. Then I realized heroes generate other heroes. There are many goofy things going on with "Safe" and they are forgiven. "Safe" gets that the hero always protects the one he or she loves. I really liked "Safe".

As Houses

[robinski34 · 7/10 · 7 June 2013]

Like Bruce Willis without the one-liners, but possessing a much larger can of 'whupass', The Stathe tears the New York underworld a new one in this rollicking, no nonsense thriller. Catherine Chan is excellent as Mei, and there is a believable relationship between the two, although the set up in the film's initial scenes feels rushed. Once things get down to business there is no compromise, nor punches pulled, only young Mei could come anywhere near being described as good, but Statham's 'Luke Wright' at least has an honourable cause at the heart of his killing spree. The plot moves quickly enough that you will be too busy counting the holes in the bad guys to see the ones in the story, but if you are able to hang on in for the ride, this is flashy flick with something worth fighting for at its heart.

Safe to Say that Safe is Stupid

[gregsrants · 2/10 · 29 April 2012]

Only 16 weeks into the 2012 theatrical release schedule and my Worst of 2012 list is beginning to take shape. This Means War, the action comedy starring Tom Hardy and Chris Pine will be there. Likely joining it will be Julia Roberts' misadventures in the dreadful Mirror, Mirror. Both entries now have company via Jason Statham's new action flick, Safe.

Safe puts actor Jason Statham in familiar territory. He is protecting a young person while driving recklessly, shooting, punching and jumping his way through fast paced and carefully choreographed sequences intended on keeping the interest of 13-year-old boys. Statham has protected young helpless persons before thanks to his Transporter franchise, but here, he scrapes the bottom of the barrel for the worst script and character he has ever played on the big screen.

In Safe, Statham plays Luke Wright, a former cop who has been living on the streets since the Russian mob killed his wife after he failed to win a promotional UFC-style fight. Wright's life is reaching its bottom point when he notices a young Asian girl being followed in a New York City subway station.

We learned earlier that the young Asian named Mei (Catherine Chan) is a super-whiz with numbers that has been kidnapped by the Chinese mob and brought to America intent on having her memorize a sequence of numbers that lead to unknown treasures.

When Luke Wright involves himself in her safety, he becomes absorbed in a cliché driven plot involving corrupt cops, corrupt politicians, the Chinese mob and the Russian mob. All have but one purpose, to gain ownership of the young girl by any means possible and to use the numbers she has memorized to open two safes containing both money and information valuable beyond comprehension.

While all four of the politicians, police and two mobs collapse upon Wright and Wei's whereabouts, our packed theatre of nine paying patrons watched as they shouted, shot and ran amok through the city in a blended mess that comes courtesy of writer/director Boaz Yakin (Remember the Titans).

There is so much wrong with Safe that it is hard to get ones head around the convoluted disaster in an attempt to explain in words how to warn other interested parties. Statham is usually consistent, but even he cannot save such an atrocity as this. His action sequences are many, but they are boring and uninspired and l felt the need to shut my eyes and grab a quick nap rather than watch him continue to take on 5-6 heavily armed men at one time and get away unscathed.

Assisting Statham in this bad smelling piece of fromage is the supporting cast. None of the many characters thrust on screen are well developed and the only one that does have any relevance, Mei, is portrayed by a young girl who can't seem to act her way out of a wet fortune cookie. Usually, we are relaxed when it comes to criticizing youth and their attempts in their big screen debuts. But Catherine Chan is terrible as a central character and her bad acting is the largest fly feasting on this pile of sh*t.

To be fair – okay, to be somewhat fair – some of the dialogue expected of Chan was beyond eye-rolling. She has to take direction in how to express such painful lines as "You're a crazy man, yet not that stupid" while Statham tries to catch a breath between bone breaking.

Snores could be heard in our almost vacant theatre and they were loud enough to drown out my own. There isn't many films that I can truly advise to stay away from, but it's safe to say that Safe is one of them.

www.killerreviews.com

A no frills action film

[Gordon-11 · 22 May 2015]

This film tells the story of a fighter in trouble with the mobsters because he fought other than he was told to. He was driven to the point of suicide, but is saved by a girl with photographic memory who holds an important piece of information. They help each other navigate the dangerous underworld.

"Safe" is a very good old school action film. The characters really fight hard, and they keep fighting throughout the film. There is no fancy effects or crazy explosions, they fight only using their fists and guns. It's been a while since I watched a no frills action film. The number of deaths is disturbing but it doesn't feel ridiculous like some films where the lead hero is invincible. The girl who plays the whiz kid is really good in her role, she's very believable. I enjoyed the film. The title is very clever too!

E ticket ride of a film

[jaxbubba · 7/10 · 15 May 2012]

You gotta love Jason Statham movies!!!!! The one thing that they do not lack is action, and this film is no exception!!! It's got dirty cops, Russian Mafia, and the Chinese Syndicate; throw in a twelve (12) year old mathematics genius with a photogenic memory, and you have the formula for a very exciting, highly enjoyable, E ticket ride of a film.

Jason Statham is Luke Wright, a former NYC policeman, turned New Jersey MMA fighter. When he accidentally knocks out his opponent in a fixed fight, the Russian Mafia kills his wife but spares his in order to continue their torment on him. He must continue to live his life; however, he cannot have any interaction with any other living person or risk their death. As he contemplates taking his own live in a NYC subway terminal, he cannot help but notice a frighten Chinese girl (Mai) and some Russian thugs in her pursuit. Upon rescuing her from her assailants, he promises her safety as he tries to figure out the secret contained in a long list of numbers that she was forced to memorize.

Like I said, the action sequences in this film are amazing, and non-stop. The storyline is fresh, and the Statham character is enduring. I liked this film, and definitely can recommend it. It's the perfect Saturday afternoon flick to be enjoyed with a big bag of popcorn, and a jumbo diet coke. So buckle up for the ride of your life, you will not be disappointed!!!

The movie is much better than the rating

[therealhman · 7/10 · 12 July 2022]

Jason is always worth watching. He is an action actor and in this movie does what he does best. If you want action, good acting (Mei, the child, almost steals the show), and a movie with good pace this movie is for you.

Statham and some great fight sequences elevate an otherwise mediocre film

[movieman_kev · 7/10 · 13 September 2012]

If writer/director Boaz Yakin just keeps making films with Jason Statham, I may just forgive him for his involvement in the travesty that was the '80's Punisher film. Well OK not THAT, but perhaps it would however cleanse my mouth of the rancid taste that From Dusk Til Dawn 2 left.

Did he suddenly get better at writing decent dialog?? No not really, it's still clichéd and trite, however the mere strong presence of Statham as Luke Wright an ex-cop, ex-MMA fighter whom loses everything he holds dear when he doesn't throw a fight with a 'YouTube sensation'. Finding redemption by helping a whiz kid who's running from the same villains that are after him. The saving grace of this film are Jason and his above average fight scenes, without which this movie would've been barely rentable.

Grunts its way to the end with thuggish abandon

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 3 February 2013]

SAFE marks another step up the career ladder for action star Jason Statham, who also made 2012's above-average KILLER ELITE with Clive Owen and Robert De Niro. SAFE steps away from the teen-friendly hijinks of THE TRANSPORTER and DEATH RACE in favour of a more focused and realistic storyline which sees Statham and his young charge (newcomer Catherine Chan, and very good she is too) on the run in New York from not only the Russian and Chinese mafia but the city's police force, too!

The film works as pure action spectacle, with never a flagging moment. Statham growls and spits his dialogue, headbutts bad guys with abandon, and shoots his way through a small army in his attempts to save Chan from harm. It's a bit like THE MAN FROM NOWHERE, eschewing all that film's careful build-up and painstaking plot progression in favour of more breakneck action bits and scenes of Statham throwing guys through windows.

Statham provides a masterclass in thuggery, while the action, refreshingly free of the shaky-cam for once, is masterful and exciting. There are some nice supporting turns from the likes of DRAG ME TO HELL's Reggie Lee as the bad guys, along with former leading man Robert John Burke (DUST DEVIL) nowadays unrecognisable thanks to the ageing progress.

Of course, SAFE will never win awards, and those who don't "get" action films will give it the cold shoulder. On the other hand, those of us who remember the good old days when Van Damme and Seagal were churning out hit after hit will probably enjoy it.

Really good action movie...

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 6 September 2012]

"Safe" is actually one of Jason Statham's better movies. And it has everything that you expect and want from his movies, lots and lots of action. But "Safe" is spiced up with a more deep and clever story compared to many of his previous movies.

The story told in "Safe" is about Mei (played by Catherine Chan), an eleven year old Chinese girl with a photographic memory, and she holds a very important numeric code. The Chinese seek to use her in their illegal trade, while Russians seek to get their hand on her as well, and to top it off, corrupt police are in the picture as well, in it for the easy cash. Luke Wright (played by Jason Statham) a washed out former police man and modern day gladiator down on his luck finds himself in the middle of it all as the young girl saves him from committing suicide, and Luke ends up saving the girl, but the clutches of the triad, mafia and corrupt police is closing in around them...

"Safe" was actually really enjoyable and the story had a good amount of suspense and thrill to it, and of course a heap of action; as it a Statham movie after all. The story moves forward at a good pace and there isn't really any dull moments in the movie. The action sequences are well choreographed and come off a rather brutal, raw and hard-hitting.

This movie is definitely a great action movie and if you are a fan of Jason Statham, then you have to watch this one. It was like watching the good old action movies from the late 80's and early 90's that I grew up with, just updated to suit today's audience. Jason Statham delivers the goods once again.

Loud, high on body count, low on subtlety, devoid of all reason. Don't do it!

[TheSquiss · 2/10 · 22 September 2012]

If you choose to watch Safe at least do so with full understanding. It's dreadful, it's loud, it's high on body count, low on subtlety and devoid of reason or intelligence.

It lacks cohesion, stars an 'actor' (Jason Statham) who has two facial expressions and one character in his repertoire, co-stars a girl who can't act but can shoot as well as Statham and is nothing short of dreadful.

Safe does not deserve an audience comprised of humans with brains but warrants only the attention of those who cannot be trusted with anything sharper than a wax crayon.

For those who think, take heed. For those who don't, enjoy the pretty pictures.

(NB: for those reading this on IMDb, see The Squiss website for pics)

Jason Statham's film

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 8/10 · 27 June 2020]

Any other lead in this film, would've made this a cheap B-grade flick. Add Jason Statham into the mix, and it's a knock 'em sock 'em kick-butt pistol-whipping Hollywood blockbuster. That is all. Great pacing, length, action scenes and the writing and directing by Boaz Yakin was decent. It's an 8/10 from me, most of it going to Statham.

Violent action thriller with Jason Statham? Who'd have thunk?

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 11 May 2012]

Mei (Catherine Chan), a genius level Chinese 11 year old, is brought to the USA to use her mathematical gifts to enhance the crooked businesses of "Uncle" Han, who subsequently tasks her with remembering a long number: a coded safe combination. Luke King (Jason Statham) is a cage fighter following leaving an elite NYPD special ops unit after betraying corrupt colleagues. When he wins a fight against expectations, the Russian mafia murder his wife in retaliation for their losses, and turn him into a wandering itinerant. And then he encounters Mei, running away while pursued by Uncle Han's men, the Russian mafia, and the corrupt police...

Jason Statham is not one for betraying your expectations, and he does not do so here. The story is satisfactory, there is a mountain of violence (none of it desperately graphic), and a lot of action, a couple of decent lines, Statham's bad US accent, stubble, undeniable screen presence, and occasional flashes of his somewhat disconcerting smile, and a decent, if necessarily one note performance from Miss Chan. I enjoyed this rather more than Statham's last couple of movies.

If You Like A Non-Stop Gunfight This Is For You

[sddavis63 · 1/10 · 22 September 2012]

I'm afraid that I need a little more than non-stop gunfights to make a movie worthwhile, but essentially what I found here was just that - it was a non stop gunfight; very violent, very bloody. I'm not the squeamish type. Those things don't bother me. I just need a decent story to go along with them. That was sorely lacking here.

The opening scenes of the movie were simply confusing. When things finally got connected it didn't get that much better. The story revolved around a young Chinese girl (Catherine Chan) - kidnapped in China and forced to the United States because she had a photographic memory and amazing mathematical skills and was of use to the Chinese mafia in New York City. Particularly, they got her to memorize the combination to a safe with $50 million in it. She escapes, and hooks up with Luke (Jason Statham), who becomes her protector.

I never did really understand the scene in which the two of them meet and he feels a connection with her, and I just honestly didn't find this movie to be at all interesting. (1/10)

Statham's the man!

[sesht · 8 October 2014]

Sadly a victim of poor-to-no marketing pre-release, this fantastic action thriller did not find an audience theatrically, though the word-of-mouth was uniformly damning with high praise (not faint).

Everyone wanted a PG-13 actioner at the time, and got confused at Yakin (Remember the Titans) being behind-the-scenes, and did not know what to expect. It was something which could've been fixed by smart marketing, esp. in a world stuck to the internet but no, they almost released this direct to video, and both fans of the genre, fans of the star possibly missed out on a very engaging, balls-to-the-wall (soft) R-rated actioner, that's one of the better genre things that Statham has done, and is yet to better.

A kinda throwback to the 80s and 90s thrillers, it almost feels like something Shane Black would've written. The flashbacks, and flashback-within-flashbacks structure, for a change, works very well, and this flick possibly has one of the longest setups ever in this kind of a movie, running close to the 1st 30 minutes. Miss even 5 of those, and you'll think you have it figured later, but would do better to revisit the minutes you missed initially.

The casting is pitch-perfect, with Statham and everyone else (esp. the heavies) playing to their strengths.

The biggest strength this movie has going for it, aside from the fact that there's a genuine sense of urgency and dread in each and every sequence, aside from the fact that everyone's playing it seriously and nothing's for a laugh, is the fantastic action choreography, perhaps the best yet this side of a Bourne movie. You could have had Daniel Craig or Liam Neeson playing the lead, and neither star wouldn't be outa place in this action thriller.

Lean and mean, and packed with moments that have unexpected payoffs, this is one for repeated viewings. In fact, I'm writing this after having watched this for the 4th time, with my first 2 viewings being at the cinema, thankfully with a like-minded audience.

Perfect, and I do hope it has a decent life at least on video. I, for one, got optimistic after viewing this, but was let down by most of Statham's choices after.