I think everyone should make it a point to see each Denzel Washington movie. If not at the theatre, at least after the fact. He’s especially reliable for gratuitous TV watching on hotel HBO. He makes it a pretty safe bet that you’re going to get something worthwhile.
Unfortunately, Safe House wasn’t very worthwhile (although I still back seeing every damn film the dude is in). It was a formulaic action flick, with only a few plot surprises, which I figured out, for the most part, in the first 15 minutes.
** PLOT KILLERS FOLLOW **
To peg Brendan Gleeson as the bad guy was pretty simple. When a spy calls his case officer early on and the case officer hurriedly tries to assuage him while walking down a busy street of a large city, you can bet said case officer is a traitor, or at least a scum bag.
Remember, the woman is usually the good “guy”. Just so you know.