Safe House - Season 1 - DVD

Film: Robert (Christopher Eccleston) was once a stellar police officer until an important witness he was assigned to protect was killed and he was shot. Now he and his wife Katy (Marsha Thomason) have retired to a picturesque country house on a lake in northern England. This is the perfect place for his former colleague Mark (Paterson Joseph) to set up a safe house where threatened families can find a safe haven. Robert isn't thrilled with this proposal at first, but secretly longs to be allowed back to work. And so, after only a few days, the family of a prison guard comes to stay with the couple. The father was badly beaten up when he tried to prevent the kidnapping of his young son. Now the family hides in the safe house until the attacker is caught. But it soon becomes apparent that there seems to be a lot more to this case. And some other secrets also come out in the supposed idyll, which could soon turn the whole situation into a nightmare.

It's always difficult for a crime thriller to maintain suspense - or even increase it over several episodes - when the viewers already know the culprit from the beginning. Safe House also has to struggle with this dilemma, but really solves it with flying colors. Because in its short first season, the thriller drama can come up with enough secrets, surprising twists and tensions among the protagonists to offer four episodes of suspense at a high level. It's not just about finding out what the killer's motives are, but also why Robert retired from the police force, why Mark is so keen to get him back involved, and what the special relationship is between him and Robert's wife Katy. In the end, everything turns out to be quite different from what was expected at the beginning of the first episode.

The series thrives on its rather subtle underlying tension. There is almost no action at all and also tangible moments of suspense in the classical sense are used rather sparsely. But this is where the series gets its charm. Director Marc Evans has staged a dense psychological drama in which the characters, their abysses and secrets are in the foreground. Coupled with extremely atmospheric imagery and good actors, the result is a gripping overall picture that never feels even slightly drawn out, even in quieter dialogue scenes.

Although there are some open plot elements left at the end that make you want a second season, the four episodes also work very well as a self-contained mini-series. Still, there remains plenty of potential for a sequel, which is scheduled to air in 2016. If you like quiet but intense thrillers, this is a series not to be missed. Absolutely worth watching!

Picture + Sound: The visuals of the four episodes capture the dark atmosphere of the stories very well. The coherent colour scheme is a particular contributing factor. That there are now and then minor point deductions in the detail representation, can therefore be easily tolerated. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is rather restrained in many scenes. Dialogue, atmospheric ambient sounds and the music dominate the proceedings here. However, every now and then, clearer surround effects make for an audible utilization of the multichannel soundstage. All in all, this is enough for a more than satisfied: good!

Extras: Bonus features include a short making of (approx. 5:12 mins), as well as interviews with the cast (approx. 4:22 mins) and the screenwriter (approx. 3:05 mins). Not really much, but worth watching!

Conclusion: Safe House is a tense thriller drama that scores with ever-changing revelations, atmospheric imagery and strong actors. Despite the rather quiet and unexciting production, the short first season offers very intense suspense that lasts until the convincing finale. Even though a self-contained story is told, there are enough unanswered questions left at the end and plenty of potential for a sequel, which actually can't come fast enough. If you appreciate gritty British dramas, this is the one for you. Recommended

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp