Safe House
(1999)
Director: Eric Steven
Stahl
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Kimberly William, Joy Kilpatrick
I don't watch that many movies that were made for a TV
network (cable or otherwise) for several different reasons. One reason
is that most of them (at least those made nowadays) seem to be about
boring
"true life" stories, or 50ish women having some kind of crisis and
subsequently
cutting loose into the world and bonding with other women their age. Another
reason is that the production values of these movies tend not to be
lavish,
and practically scream, "Made for TV!!!" A third reason is that, even
in
many of the cable movies, they generally don't go very far in the
violence
and sex department. Safe House, originally made for the
Showtime
network, qualifies in both my second and third reasons for my general
reluctance
on TV movies. But like Evil Roy Slade,
I found this TV movie
to be another of those rare exceptions, one that actually captured my
attention.
Enough so that my wanting to sit through until the very end got me
through
a few problems in this imperfect but entertaining thriller.
This movie works, because the the people who made it
clearly
chose a project that would not be out of their limitations. No special
effects are needed, no fancy costumes or locations need to be brought
it.
What they bring to the movie are things that you don't necessarily need
a lot of money to bring to a screen; there's a script that brings us an
original and engaging premise, and an interesting character that's
brought
to life by a lively actor. Of course, Patrick Stewart can't be that
cheap,
but I think you know what I mean. That is, if you have a good story and
good actors, the audience will be more willing to accept anything else
in the movie that may be inadequate. The movie isn't just smart, but
made
smartly as well.
Not long after we are introduced to leading character
Mace Sowell (Stewart), a retired P.R. official for military
intelligence,
we can't help but wonder if he's a madman. Living in an affluent
neighborhood
in L.A., Mace has turned his swanky dwelling into a fortress, with
every
kind of sensor, alarm, and security camera setup you can think of
inside
and outside his home. That by itself sounds quite eccentric, but the
strictly
housebound Mace goes even further with his quest for self-preservation.
He's hired a fellow to regularly break in and attempt to attack him,
and
these war games have not gone without hurting anyone. As his distraught
daughter (Kilpatrick) blurts out, "You can't keep tying maids to water
heaters, holding them at gunpoint, throwing them in the pool!"
In his defense, Mace claims to both his daughter and
psychiatrist
Dr. Simon (Hector Elizondo) that he really worked on an elite
government
execution squad, and he's afraid that a past client he worked for - who
is now running for president - wants to wipe him
out in fear that he may
spill the beans. Of course, nobody believes him, but he doesn't really
mind being alone here. In fact, it's only because of the threat of a
sanity
hearing does he allow his daughter to hire Andi (Williams), an in-home
caregiver for him. There is the inevitable clashing and arguing between
the two, though Andi stubbornly refuses to be scared off by Mace's odd
behavior. Gradually, the two form a kind of understanding - most of the
time - though there are some unexpected things ahead. Plus, we still
have
to learn if Mace is crazy or if what he claims and trains for is
justified.
I won't say what the truth turns out to be, except that
the explanations for everything are very unlikely to be exactly what
you
may be thinking now - that is, if you haven't seen the movie before
reading
this review. That's because the movie makes a huge mistake by revealing
much of the answer in the first ten minutes of the movie. True, there
are
some surprises revealed later on in the movie that make the final
explanation
more complex, but the heart is missing. If that fatal explanation had
not
been revealed, the movie would have been much more fun to watch. Many
scenes
could then be seen in more than one way, and it would have been fun to
examine each sequence for a clue that might give some insight into the
final answer. But since we have been shown that fatal clue, a lot of
these
scenes just end up being somewhat of a waste of time; we know what's
going
on, so why take time in showing us again?
Still, while the mystery might not actually be much of
a mystery, there is still a lot in the movie to entertain us, including
the relationship between Ross and Andi. It goes without saying that
Stewart
gives a solid performance in the movie as a stubborn and quite
formidable
foe. It's a daunting task to make a performance that can stand up to
it,
but Williams manages to do that. Wisely, she doesn't try to outshout or
outmuscle Stewart. Instead, she gives her words a conviction that may
not
make them loud, but come out with a lot of force. She makes her
character
a determined one, one who may not be able to always win, but one who is
persistent.
Their relationship reminded me of the one in They
Might Be Giants, though at its worse it comes off more like a
tribute
than outright plagiarism of that earlier movie. The two actors have
great
chemistry together, not just when they are having a conflict, but when
they start to get along better. And for a refreshing change, this movie
doesn't try to have a romance spark between its male and female main
characters,
so this relationship is not only entertaining, but a more believable
one
as well. Things don't keep building from cold to hot gradually, but
sometimes
there is a step back or two along the way, just like real life.
This changing between hot and cold throughout is kind
of the way to describe the movie's constantly changing mood. Of course,
the movie's heart is essentially that of a mystery suspense thriller,
but
you wouldn't always know that. Sometimes the movie's tone becomes very
sad, and it's a real credit to Stewart's acting ability that his
character's
reaction to some sad facts
can't help but move us as well. More often than
not, though, the movie is funny. Even when the movie gets sad or more
serious,
it isn't long before there is a moment that makes you laugh out loud.
The
laughs come from many sources, like the disguises Mace wears when he
has
to leave the house to see his doctor or how he tries to discourage the
people who apply for the in-home care position. Wisely, Stewart plays
these
scenes with seriousness and a sniff of dignity, which makes seeing this
proud man in such crazy situations even funnier. I guess for some
people,
the movie may also be sexy, since there are several scenes where
Stewart
takes off his shirt. (Calm down, ladies.)
Stewart is the real reason to see this movie, not just
the fact that the mystery is not only partially spoiled early on, but
that
the ending of the movie leaves some plot holes that become more
apparent
the more you think about it. His Mace Sowell character is one of the
more
fascinating characters I've come across in a movie - made for TV or not
- for some time. Even though he spends about 90% of the movie only in
his
house or on the grounds, you are intrigued by him, and you wonder what
his next actions will be. I guess it's no exaggeration to say that this
character does a lot more for the movie than the movie does for him,
though
in fairness, the direction does remember to focus on him as well as
giving
the movie a sleek look. Safe House does have other
positive
attributes besides Mace Sowell/Patrick Stewart, and they all combine to
make a movie that is satisfying enough. Still, I couldn't help but wish
that I could not only see this character again, but in a screenplay
that
was more worthy of him.
Check
for availability on Amazon (DVD) -
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Check
for availability on Amazon (Amazon Prime Video)
See also: The Ambassador, An Enemy Of The People, Ulterior
Motives
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