Simon Dillon reviews the film

Jason Statham has been making a name for himself as the natural successor to the big action movies stars of the 1980s. However, in writer/director Boaz Yakin's Safe, Statham manages to pull off the unusual trick of having an emotional centre to his tough as nails character; something his predecessors consistently failed to do.

Safe is a cracking bit of bone-crunching action cinema, with Statham on top form as suicidal down-and-out Luke, who is suddenly given a fresh reason to live in the form of eleven year old Chinese girl Mei (Catherine Chan). Kidnapped by Chinese gangsters on account of her photographic memory, Mei has memorised a code which is also wanted by Russian gangsters and various corrupt policeman. Whilst fleeing all three sets of villains, Luke becomes her protector, and in the process his mysterious past comes to light in between scenes of brutal violence.

And it's certainly violent, with a body count to match the heyday of 1980s action movies. The fights are spectacularly choreographed, and it's impossible not to cheer Statham on as he unleashes righteous vengeance on all manner of scumbag villains. In the grand tradition of such films, the one-dimensional baddies thoroughly deserve everything they get having been well established as utterly reprehensible within the first act.

All that said, there are some strongly redemptive elements amid the punch-ups and shoot-outs, most of which occur as a result of the (appealing unsentimental) bond between Mei and Luke. There are also understated spiritual lessons that are bang-on from a Christian perspective, which I shan't discuss as it would spoil the plot. I can understand why the violence (and swearing) might put off some people, but if action movies are your thing, Safe is a hugely entertaining slice of popcorn mayhem.