Safe House (1998)
Starring Patrick Stewart and Kimberly Williams.
Seeing that Patrick had got himself knighted inspired me to look for a movie that had him I have never seen yet. It lead me to Safe House.
Mace Sowell (Patrick) is an retired spy who lives in paranoia and early stage Alzheimer's in a heavily wired up house, never going out without a disguise. His daily routine is an all encompassing and designed to keep him safe. It is played brilliantly and convincingly showing that Patrick never phones in a performance no matter the job or budget.
His supporting cast while not the same calibre as Stewart are well played. Stewart who easily could have destroyed them on screen is the ever aware actor, helps improves everybody around him. Andi Travers (Kimberly) plays her usual (Smoking hot) smart ass chick as seen in According to Jim but with class. It is Stewart who is rude and to the outside observer insane.
The directing is adequate along with the sound design. There aren't many sets, but the house where most of the movie takes place contains it's share of surprises. The odd prop are noticeably cheap.
The script isn't bad but could have gone in a really bad direction had another cast been selected. It contains several arcs where you are shown different points of view from other characters that doesn't move the plot forward, but are there to enhance the main characters. What is really surprising though is how deep, for a fairly low budget movie it looks at Alzheimer's. It could have played out as a straight comedy, but instead it plays out as a dark comedy with far better results instead of Pink Panther. Alzheimer's can be funny, but having lived with somebody with it for a short period of time myself, the real thing is nothing to laugh at.
One additional note, if you have some sort of revulsion to seeing Patrick naked with only shadows and a bit of soap bubbles covering him, yeah, well it's in here.
A gem of a movie, abet a small one polished into a winner with some good actors.
8/10