Safe

Safe (Rated R)

• Starring Jason Statham, Catherine Chan, Chris Sarandon
• Directed by Boaz Yakin
• Plot: An ex-cop turned cage-fighter takes on crooked cops and two crime organizations to save a Chinese girl who has memorized a code that leads to a huge payoff.

There is little I look forward to more (theatrically speaking) than a new Jason Statham movie.  I came of age on Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Van Damme and Seagal, and no one rekindles that old-time action flare like Statham.  “The Transporter” films, the “Crank” films, “The Expendables” – you name it, I’m ready for it.

 

In “Safe”, Statham plays Luke Wright, a former cop who was forced out of a corrupt system.  Luke turns to cage fighting to support his family.  After not throwing a fight, he ends up on the wrong side of the Russian mob; they kill his family leaving him alone on the streets.  This is where he runs into Mei, a young Chinese girl on the run from the Chinese Triad.  She has a code memorized that has her wanted by the police, the Triad and the Russian mobsters who killed Luke’s family.  Luke is determined to protect her, even if it means taking on all three of them.

 “Safe” is definitely a throwback to old-school action films with balls-to-the-wall action scenes and hilarious one-liners.  While the storyline is nothing new, Statham is amazing on screen.  He has great charisma and delivers his lines with aplomb.  There is no other action star right now has Statham’s skill or on-screen presence.  He may make action films, but he’s a better actor than any of the 80’s stars, and I think that’s what makes his films stand out from the genre.

If you want a fun action film, you can’t go wrong with “Safe.”