Safe House (1998)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Eric Steven Stahl

Writers:

Eric Steven Stahl (story) &
John Schalter (story) ...

Release Date:

24 January 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

The less you know, the safer you are.

Plot:

A psychological thriller; Mace Sowell, an ex-intelligence operative and whose past government activities catches up with him...

Plot Keywords:

Alzheimer's Disease | Spy | Dead Man Switch | Paranoia | Shooting

Cast

Patrick Stewart	...	Mace Sowell
Kimberly Williams-Paisley	...	Andi Travers (as Kimberly Williams)
Hector Elizondo	...	Dr. Simon
Joy Kilpatrick	...	Michelle Sowell-Ross
Craig Shoemaker	...	Stuart Bittenbinder
James Harlow	...	Marc Ross
Richard Livingston	...	Admiral Thomas Michelmore
Julia Vera	...	Teresa
Brenda James	...	Asthma Girl Interviewee (as Brenda Klemme)
Robert Lee Barry	...	Rocket Scientist Interviewee
Scott Zacky	...	Wise Guy Interviewee
Wayne Demaline	...	'Butch' The Redneck Interviewee
Hank Garrett	...	Hitman / Postman

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

UK:15 | USA:Not Rated

Company:

Benjamin Productions

Trivia:

Hank Garrett, who plays the mailman whose pen runs out of ink, played essentially the same role in Three Days of the Condor (1975).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Stewart gets shot and falls back into the pool, the rectangular outline of the squib-pad is visible through his shirt.

Quotes:

Mace: What sort of name is 'Andi' for a girl?
Andi: It's short for Andrea. What sort of name is 'Mace'?
Mace: It's short for 'in your face'!

Movie Connections:

References Mary Poppins (1964)

One of the best Showtime movies

This is a great film that premeired as a Showtime original picture in 1999, I believe. The plot is awesome, and it will leave you guessing the entire time, it's very entertaining to watch, even tho you are watching a poor man drift further and further into Alzheimer's disease. The setting of the film is in a very lavish, very expensive house in which a very rich man (Patrick Stewart) lives. After being diagnosed with the disease, his daughter decides he needs someone at the house to take care of him and whatever else needs taken care of. He is a proud man, and he's very stubborn in that he doesn't think he needs anyone to live with him. He is grouchy and rude to begin with, but he begins to warm up to the hired help (the bride in the movie 'Father of the Bride'--Kimberly Williams, I think?)...anyhow...it's been a while since I've seen the movie, but I remember he was involved in very top secret stuff during his career, and he is paranoid that someone is out to kill him. You see him thru out the movie practicing with a gun in and outside of his house (he won't leave the yard, he's so paranoid.) There is that element to the film, but there is also a much lighter note on top of everything. It's a comedy, a 'buddy' movie, and an adventure all in one. It is beautifully shot, unlike some of the originals you'll see on Showtime, and it was a nice change from most of the films they have done in the past. Stewart does a superb job, and he keeps you entertained thru the entire film. On the subject of plot changes and surprises...be prepared, it is very good in this way at the end.