Ryan Reynolds & Denzel Washington’s R-Rated Action Thriller Becomes Streaming Sensation 14 Years Later

by

The action thriller Safe House, featuring Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington, has recently become popular on streaming services. Originally released in theaters in February 2012, the R-rated film was a box office hit, earning $208.1 million worldwide on an $85 million budget.

As of today, January 29th, the movie Safe House is currently the third most popular film on Hulu in the United States. According to data from FlixPatrol, it’s held this position for the last five days. It’s behind Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere at number one and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire in second place, but ahead of films like Code 3, Spider-Man, and Spider-Man 3.

Wrapping up the top fifteen, we’ve got a pretty eclectic mix! Coming in just behind the leaders are titles like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the hilarious Superbad, and Spider-Man 2. We also see Together, the rom-com Anyone But You, and the thriller Retribution. For those who like a bit of inspiring drama, Remember the Titans – featuring a fantastic performance by Denzel Washington – makes the cut. Rounding things out are the chilling The Ritual Killer and the quirky classic, Napoleon Dynamite.

In his first English-language film, director Daniel Espinosa brings us Safe House, written by David Guggenheim. The movie stars Ryan Reynolds as a young CIA agent working in Cape Town, South Africa. He’s in charge of a safe house where they’re interrogating a veteran operative – played by Denzel Washington – who is suspected of betraying the agency.

Following an attack on their hideout by mercenaries, the group flees and finds themselves pursued throughout Cape Town by relentless assassins. These assassins seem to know their every plan, leading them to wonder who they can trust.

The movie’s got an amazing cast! You’ve got Vera Farmiga, who I loved in Up in the Air, and Brendan Gleeson, fresh off The Banshees of Inisherin. Then there’s Sam Shepard, a legend from The Right Stuff, plus Rubén Blades, who’s been nominated for Emmys twice. And it doesn’t stop there – Nora Arnezeder, Robert Patrick (still remember him from Terminator 2: Judgment Day!), Liam Cunningham, who was fantastic in Game of Thrones, and Fares Fares are all in it too. Seriously, this cast is stacked!

While Safe House did well at the box office, critics weren’t entirely impressed, giving it a 52% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. They praised the acting of Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, but felt the movie was let down by a predictable story and messy action sequences. Viewers generally liked it more, with a 63% approval rating.

Back in September 2012, Universal asked screenwriter David Guggenheim to start working on a sequel to Safe House, but that project never happened. Despite this, the film continues to find success on streaming platforms 14 years later, thanks to the popular pairing of Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. While the movie is enjoyable, it’s sometimes held back by a less-than-perfect script and action sequences that could have been better edited.

Read More

2026-01-29 21:06