“Next to Nothing”

“Hotshots” looks at a movie!

Safe House is a bang-bang, shoot-’em-up, run-run-run, bang-bang, shoot-’em-up-some-more action thriller that is the very epitome of a movie with more style than substance.

It stars Denzel Washington as a rogue CIA agent who has been on the run for nine years and Ryan Reynolds as an inexperienced CIA agent who is in charge of a safe house run by the CIA in Capetown, South Africa.

Matt Weston has been in charge of the safe house for only 12 months, but hasn’t seen any action or activity at all in that year.

In fact, at the beginning of the movie, when he checks in with his superior at CIA headquarters, Matt says, “I’m dying here. What happened to the post in Paris?”

And then everything changes drastically for Matt. A team of agents bring rogue agent Tobin Frost to the safe house for questioning.

Frost is so notorious that even inexperienced Matt recognizes him.

However, during the interrogation, a team of men break into the safe house and start killing everyone, and only Matt and Frost are able to escape, leading to an unbelievable car chase through the streets of Capetown.

Frost is in handcuffs, and he tells Matt that the men want Frost alive, but they will kill Matt if they can.

Back at CIA headquarters, they are aware of what is happening in South Africa, and they admit that Matt is all they have to keep Frost in custody, and so they relay directions to another safe house out in the country and tell Matt to take Frost there.

However, before Matt can get Frost there, they are still being chased by the men intent on killing Matt and capturing Frost, and Matt also has to worry that someone in the CIA set everything up and is directing the chase.

So, whenever Frost escapes from Matt, Matt has to track him down and capture him again, dodge the bullets from the men trying to kill him, and still get Frost to the new safe house.

Oh, and all the action takes place over only two days, there are surprises in store for the audience, but you might be able to guess the final surprise.

Safe House is full of sound and fury, signifying next to nothing.

I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”