‘Safe House 1618’ is a crime film that follows three sisters, Joe, Lee and Jamie, as they hide out in a safe-house after exacting revenge on a senator’s son, Ronan, for a heinous crime he had committed against Joe’s friend Julia. Things take a turn for the worst as the senator hires ‘No One’ to track them down and make an example of them.
The film sets out with the three sisters tracking down Ronan and executing him. After killing Ronan, the sisters and their getaway driver seek refuge in a safe-house where they are instructed to remain and not leave the premises for at least 40 days.
Things are made worse by the fact that Lee is suffering a concussion and is bedridden for the better part of two weeks. In the meantime, Joe is haunted by nightmares of seeing Ronan kill Julia in front of her.
Things get tense, as the group experience cabin fever and Jamie wanders out to meet up with her boyfriend. Unknown to the group, the senator has hires No One to track the sisters down and kill them. No One is able to track down Jamie’s boyfriend and kills him. Keeping watch over his house, No One sees Jamie and is able to track down the safe-house the sisters are hiding in.
No One goes on a rampage, kills the getaway driver and Jamie, but is thwarted by Lee who manages to shoot him. On the run, Joe and Lee try to reach their getaway car, but Lee is unable to keep running, sending Joe off to flee by herself. No One gives chase and kills Lee on his way to Joe.
By the getaway car, No One catches up to Joe and ties her up, to be executed after showing her a video of the senator, informing that he will make an example of her, so no one will cross him again. As No One prepares to kill her, Joe manages to escape and drives over the attacker, making her escape into the night on foot.
‘Safe House 1618’ is a crime/horror film that opens with an impressive, tense and action packed sequence. The three sisters are shown in action, giving the viewers the impression they are all familiar with weapons and more than capable of handling themselves. Unfortunately after the opening, the film veers into a different, much more subdued territory, establishing the group dynamic as the sisters cope with isolation.
Prior to the opening action sequence, we are introduced to No One, a masked and ruthless assailant, as he takes out another criminal, carrying out his duties as a hired gun. The assassin isn’t re-introduced as a threat to the group much further down the line, diminishing the threat of his presence. Even after taking out Jamie’s partner, and subsequently her as well, No One serves more as a menacing and voyeuristic presence, rather than a serious physical threat, because even though he leaves a trail of bodies in his path, Lee and Joe manage to escape his initial attack. Perhaps due to the more mild fight scene that is presented, No One ultimately retains a more quiet demeanour than would have been necessary to establish a suspenseful and intense personality for him.
The cast, comprised of Jasmine Day, Matison Card and Brittney Carpenter, playing Joelene, Lee and Jamie respectively, do well in setting up the group dynamic, with Lee spearheading the mission, Jamie growing tired and resentful for having agreed to help her sisters and Joe for illustrating the fallout of her traumatising experience. The three work well together, but the film leaves room for a further examination of Lee’s past and why she had asked Joe to take it upon herself to exact revenge on Ronan.
‘Safe House 1618’ makes use of switching between different aspect ratios, using wide shots for scenes set outdoors, switching to 4:3 for shots indoors. The change is effective in adding to the claustrophobic feel bearing down on the sisters the longer they are trapped in the house, working especially well in combination with the use of red light in scenes where Jamie retreats to the bathroom for privacy. Even though the use of overwhelmingly strong visual effects isn’t explored further, the scenes that do provide a welcome divergence from the established mundane everyday routine the group experience whilst locked up in the house.
At its core ‘Safe House 1618’ is a crime thriller, exploring the ramifications of the three sisters actions. The film examines the hardship that Joe is going through and the power play between Lee and Jamie as they don’t see eye to eye about their next move. The film has a great opening action sequence, but never quite manages to re-capture that level of intensity. Even with the introduction of the silent killer, ‘1618’ retains a quite tame tone, delivering a visually intriguing but ultimately docile experience.
Score: 2/4
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