Parents' Guide to

Safe

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Tween's presence makes violent action movie more upsetting.

Movie R 2012 94 minutes
Safe Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Xjklx
Xjklx Adult
August 2, 2020
age 16+

Stereotypical racist comments

NYPD characters make unnecessary racist comments when referring to the Asian girl and the Chinese gang.

This title has:

Too much violence
darthsitkur
darthsitkur Adult
December 28, 2012
age 15+

loved it :)

i'd describe this as transporter 4 considering what the premise is, but the fight scenes and shootouts and the car chase are cranked up to 13 in this badboy and much more exciting
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Luke Wright (Jason Statham) used to work as a special agent for the NYPD, but now he's a lowly cage fighter who angers the Russian mob by not taking a fall. Ruined and desperate, Luke starts to think about suicide when he spots 12-year-old Mei (Catherine Chan) on the run from Russian thugs. A mathematical genius who's being held prisoner by the Chinese mafia to keep their books, Mei has escaped with a special numerical code that's desperately wanted by the Chinese, the Russians, and a band of dirty New York cops. It's up to Luke to protect the girl, play the bad guys against one another, and solve the secret of the code.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (6):

Filmmaker Boaz Yakin's screenplay is taut and clever and might have been turned into a decent movie. He's created a new riff on the old Red Harvest/Yojimbo story of a lone stranger playing two warring families against one another, upping the stakes by adding a third group and the little girl character. But behind the camera, Yakin puts a great deal less thought into his story. He constantly makes the basest and most vulgar choices, starting with the horrible, shaky, nausea-inducing camerawork, which ruins the fight scenes.

Then there's a general queasy feeling you get watching poor little Catherine Chan involved in all these violent sequences, when, in real life, she wouldn't -- and shouldn't -- be allowed to see the finished film. Finally, Statham has chosen to cover up his usual English accent with a fake New York one, which serves to erase some of the charm that's usually associated with his characters. Overall, SAFE is terribly glum and resolutely average.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Safe's violence. Is it harder to take given the presence of 12-year-old Mei? Does it have more impact than superhero-style action violence? Why or why not?

  • Did you notice any stereotypes in the movie? Why do filmmakers fall back on that kind of storytelling/characterization?

  • Can Luke be considered a role model in this movie? How does this role compare to Statham's usual image as an action star?

Movie Details

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