It baits and switches on two disappointing propositions, moving swiftly from the expectedly cliché to the dismayingly derivative.
It’s at once devoted to corroborating and casting an exaggerated light on Soviet paranoia and the state’s rhetoric of unmasking its enemies.
The film nails the concept that, in worlds like this, the clothes don’t make the man.
Even if Safe House turns especially silly in its final attempt at social justice, the film achieves something rare for a Hollywood action film: depth of purpose.