It’s pretty incredible to watch the second life that Netflix is able to give all kinds of forgotten TV shows and movies, which will disappear into the ether and then get resurrected in a big way on the popular streamer. A good example of this came a few weeks ago, when a Ryan Reynolds action movie from back in 2012 that also stars Denzel Washington hit the streamer. The movie is Safe House, which didn’t really get a lot of attention during its original run. Yet, as we noted at the time, Netflix users immediately streamed the heck out of it — sending the title rocketing all the way to the top of the streamer’s most-watched movies chart.
Ryan Reynolds Netflix movie 2021
As mentioned above, though, if you haven’t gotten around to checking this one out yet? Well, the clock is ticking. Safe House will roll off of Netflix on November 15.
In the movie, Reynolds plays a CIA operative. He’s tasked with relocating a dangerous criminal away from a vulnerable safe house. In addition to Reynolds and Washington, the cast also includes Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, and Sam Shepard. The Netflix synopsis of Safe House describes the plot thus: “CIA operative Matt Weston must get a dangerous criminal out of an agency safe house that’s come under attack and get him to a more secure location.”
Car chase scene from the film "Safe House" (2012) with Ryan Reynolds. It's not a bad film, it holds up today as an action thriller. Also stars Denzel Washington. pic.twitter.com/wHhtz9Yl8N
— James Abrams AKA CabCat (@cabcat5) July 26, 2019
Why did the movie enjoy instant popularity once it hit Netflix? It was no doubt because of a sort of Ryan Reynolds halo effect. His movie Free Guy, for example, was one of the most fun things I’ve seen in a cinema at any point this year.
Unfortunately, this older Reynolds flick hasn’t exactly stood up over time to be a hit with critics. At Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently has a 53% critics score. That’s based on 194 reviews, such as this one from Empire magazine, which opines about the movie: “Tolerably exciting spycraft, but stuck with a see-through plot. Washington and Reynolds are watchable, but not exactly stretched by these roles.”
Safe House Netflix trailer
If the prospect of watching Reynolds engaging in some Jason Bourne-style spycraft sounds enticing, though, check out the trailer for Safe House below to whet your appetite even more.
Critics might not think it represents great art. But viewers, however, seem to be plenty happy with the film. It’s got a better audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, for example — 63%, based on more than 100,000 ratings. There’s also plenty of positive sentiment about the film on social media.
One Twitter user, for example, noted that while the thriller doesn’t really break any new ground, it’s “a fun watch,” regardless.
