Jason Statham’s rise up the ranks of Hollywood tough guys hasn’t exactly been built on a wide acting range, but these days he just seems content to fall back on his highly-marketable reputation. This he does to a tee in Safe, the latest film written and directed by Boaz Yakin (Uptown Girls, Remember the Titans).
Statham plays Luke Wright, an ex-cop-turned-cage-fighter, who’s on the verge of committing suicide. His wife has been murdered by the Russian Mafia after he failed to take a dive, and he is about to throw himself off a subway platform into the path of an oncoming train, when he spots Chinese schoolgirl Mei (Catherine Chan) who looks to be in trouble.
It turns out that Mei is some sort of child prodigy with flawless memory, wanted not only by the Russians, but also the Triad, her abductors, who have been using her skills to hide their money— and, oh yeah, a bunch of bent cops are also on her trail. It’s plain to see why: locked inside her head is the combination to a safe in a high-security casino containing US$30 million.
Seeking redemption, Wright takes the little one under his wing and vows to be her protector. What follows is the expected slug-fest, replete with the visually-pleasing shoot outs and chase scenes that have given Statham his reputation. The problem is that Yakin wants us to take his lead man for something more than a merciless killing machine, yet he never comes across as someone who has just lost the love of his life. The sudden bond that forms between the pair of outcasts also seems forced, despite Chan’s promising debut (slightly robotic delivery and an eerie resemblance to The Ring’s Sadako, aside).
Action fans, however, can revel in the fact that there are almost more bullets fired than words, while a few tender moments and well-timed jokes even manage to lighten the mood amid the rising body count. But as its title suggests, there’s nothing daring about this film; perhaps it’s time we just sought comfort in Statham’s over-the-top machismo.