Safe House (1998)

A psychological thriller. Mace Sowell, an ex-intelligence operative whose past government activities catches up with him, faces his own mortality, in the shape of the on-set of Alzheimer's ... See full summary »

Director:

Eric Steven Stahl

Writers:

Eric Steven Stahl (story), John Schalter (story)

Stars:

Patrick Stewart, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Hector Elizondo

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

A psychological thriller. Mace Sowell, an ex-intelligence operative whose past government activities catches up with him, faces his own mortality, in the shape of the on-set of Alzheimer's disease. Holding the electronic key to secret information which implicates a Presidential front-runner, Mace struggles for his life while battling the debilitating effects of the disease.

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Plot Keywords:

alzheimer's disease | die hard scenario | shot to death | death | hand to hand combat | 

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Taglines:

The less you know, the safer you are.

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Genres:

Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 January 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Az otthon biztonsága

Company Credits

Production Co:

Benjamin Productions,Filmquest Pictures,Showtime Networks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

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).

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Goofs

When Stuart is shot, he stumbles backward into the pool; when he is seen next, he is floating face down.

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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'!

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Connections

References Goldfinger (1964)

User Reviews

Good premise, poor execution.

"Safe House" shows us a public service retiree (Stewart) with early Alzheimers secluded in a suburban home with a fantastic maze of electronic surveillance equipment, an armory, and a beautiful young caregiver (Williams) to protect him from what he believes to be a plot to get him and what his grown kids believe is simple disease-related paranoia. What could have been a good thriller/suspense/psychodrama is unfortunately brought to the small screen as a comedy cum drama cum farce cum whatever. Although the flick has its moments, they're few and far between and a good premise sinks under the awkward one-man-band execution.