Familiar formula

Espionage thrillers are often over-complicated affairs that serve up more red herrings than a fish restaurant, and this film isn’t much different.

What makes movies like this entertaining is that you’re never sure whom to side with because in a world of black and white, a bit of gray goes a long way. 
 
Ryan Reynolds is an actor with many strings to his bow. He’s stared in comedies, romantic-comedies, horrors, comic adaptations, surreal sci-fi and now, he’s trying his hand at action.

What better way to make your debut into the genre than side-by-side with one of the greatest actors of his generation, Denzel Washington.

Together they have a great chemistry and that’s what makes this film come to life on-screen. Admittedly the premise isn’t exactly new and pairing an idealistic rookie cop with bitter veteran is a bit like putting salt with pepper ... but it works.

To set the scene, a young CIA agent Matt Weston (Reynolds), has been on a low-level assignment as the housekeeper of a safe house in Cape Town for the last year and has become  increasingly frustrated he doesn’t have an exciting assignment in the field.

They say, ‘be careful what you wish for’, and they’re right because Matt’s world is turned upside down when rogue former CIA agent Tobin Frost (Washington), turns himself in to the American embassy in Cape Town.  After nine years on the run for selling government secrets, he has apparently grown tired of the cat-and-mouse game and is taken to Matt’s safe house.

Initially, Matt feels like he’s finally getting the excitement he’s been craving, but he is quickly disillusioned when he witnesses the interrogation techniques being used on Tobin.

While being essentially tortured to give up details of double-agents, informers and other valued info wanted by the CIA, the safe house is compromised and his captors are killed by a group of mysterious raiders.

At this point there are some great action sequences as Matt flees the safe house with a less-than-impressed Tobin in tow.

Matt’s orders are to take him to another safe house where his CIA superiors, Chief Catherine Linklater and, his immediate boss, David Barlow, are to take over.
 
After several plot twists, Matt and Tobin are on the run, trying to out-smart their pursuers. There’s a nice dynamic at play here as Reynolds attempts to assert his authority and keep control of his cunning and dynamic prisoner.
 
Washington simply wants to escape and leak some more information revealing cracks in the CIA. It’s great to see Washington’s calm and collected persona interact with Reynolds’ trademark wise-guy attitude; they’re like an original odd couple.

Along the way, Tobin tells Matt why he became a fugitive from the agency and reveals that one of Matt’s bosses was responsible for the shootout at the safe house and now Matt has to decide where his loyalties lie.

In terms of the production, the film is shot well and there is good pacing to the car chases which often overrun in films of this genre.

I want to make it clear that while this was an enjoyable romp, it is not a must-see movie. If you’re a fan of Denzel Washington or Ryan Reynolds, then this will probably entertain you. If you are looking for a smarter, more gripping movie about essentially the same thing, rent Spy Game. 

Showing in Cineco, Saar Cineplax and Seef II