Review- Safe

At the Theater - Safe - There are several gun battles here, a solid car chase and a number of quick martial arts encounters- they occur in such rapid succession, and with so many faceless, characterless goons (they died so fast I couldn't count them) that I found myself a bit numbed. It's a competent action film, though the spastic editing and claustrophobic, shaky cam nonsense really waters it down- it's usage here reaffirms my love for this year's Gina Carano vehicle, Haywire (a far, far superior film that features excellently choreographed fight scenes with wide, lengthy cuts). Statham's machismo keeps it afloat and there's a pretty cool conclusion.

Jason Statham plays a destitute former cop and cage match fighter who's haunted by the death of his wife at the hands of the Russian Mob. His character runs across a gifted 11 year old girl being hunted by that same gang of Russians, the Triad and a crew of corrupt cops- all out to secure a series of numbers that she's memorized. The basic premise is essentially a reworking of the Bruce Willis film, Mercury Rising. This particular film is a tad too over-plotted for my tastes, with a few too many conveniences to move the story from one scene to the next. There's nothing here that I felt was painfully dumb, though.

This is the first full-length feature film for the young actress, Catherine Chan- she's okay, with plenty of room and time to grow. Her character never really makes a connection to Statham's- that particular arc is undermined by the constant plotting and action. Chris Sarandon (Fright Night) makes a few appearances as the Mayor of New York, while Robert John Burke (FX's Rescue Me) plays a corrupt Police Captain. James Hong (Big Trouble in Little China) shows up a few times in truly despicable form, as always, as the Triad crime boss.

Statham fans might want to wait to rent this one- it's better than The Mechanic (2011) and Killer Elite (2011) but not as good as Blitz.

7.0 out of 10