I love this sort of movie. This is a B-movie, a second-tier action film centered on the ability of the lead to carry you through. If this was made a quarter-century ago it would have surely starred someone like Steven Seagal or Jean Claude Van Damme. It is an over the top action vehicle with a thin story to carry you from one action sequence to the next. This time out it is called Safe and it stars Jason Statham, a star seemingly cut from cloth similar to those action stars of yesteryear. Safe should play well on a double bill with movies like Out for Justice and Showdown in Little Tokyo.
The movie is absurd, violent, surprisingly comical, and just a lot of fun. There are times when I just want to be entertained by an action movie and this one fits the bill. It is bereft of complicated plot turns and built upon a series of increasingly violent sequences until the inevitable conclusion. It does not require deep thought, just a desire to be entertained, much like those old school actioners from the 1980s.
If I have any complaints, it is that the opening is a little too convoluted. Rather than jumping right into the story, the movie begins just before the main characters meet, then jumps backwards in time through their recent history. One hour ago, one month ago, one year ago, four months later, three weeks later, and so on back to the "present" where the first scene takes place before settling on a more straightforward path. It gets a little frustrating, and I was afraid it was going to ruin the film, but once you are through the non-linear narrative jumps, it settles down into a straight line.
The story follows a 12-year-old Chinese girl named Mei (Catherine Chan) who's very good with math and numbers. She is kidnapped by a criminal organization, run by a Mr. Han (James Hong). She is shipped to America so her skills can be put to use in their service. Things go downhill after she memorizes a long sequence of numbers, a code. Said code is something that a lot of people want to get their hands on.
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Article comments
1 - AhhhhQuaMan
I can honestly say that you're not the only one that liked it. I love Statham movies! I can see how the plot mainly just carried us from action scene to action scene, but that just means more action per minute, which is fine for me. This guy in my office was just bashing the whole thing, so there will be those naysayers. But I think turning off your brain and enjoying some "shoot'em up bang bang" fun for an evening is necessary, especially when the graphics are this stunning. After finding out it doesn't cost any extra for blu-rays it is the only way I watch movies.