User Reviews

This four part mini-series on ITV sought to combine two stories and bind them together in the persons of ex-cop Christopher Ecclestone and his old boss, still active police commander Paterson Joseph. Ecclestone was the policeman latterly assigned to chaperone the wife of a ruthless gangster, about to give incriminatory evidence against her husband, but in a constantly, in fact very much overplayed scene, he gets shot by a marksman accompanying her back from a shop they stop off at, from which prone position he witnesses her being shot to death in the dark, driving rain, by the same shooter. The second strand comes when boss Joseph encourages a by now physically if not psychologically recovered Ecclestone and his new wife to use their remote country hideaway as a safe house for a dysfunctional family of five, the apparent target of a psychopathic ex-con, who starts proceedings by attempting to kidnap the little boy when the family are attending a fun-fair at night.

As usual with these many-part dramas, some characters and some situations do come and go somewhat and also as usual, the long arm of coincidence reaches deep and actually quite often within the narrative which whilst this might help add drama and tension more often beggared belief and damaged credibility. In particular the ways the not especially bright ex-con miraculously avoids discovery by the police and then unerringly tracks down the target family with just his mobile phone, took some swallowing.

I also felt the joining of the two stories seemed somewhat strained and that taken separately, they may have worked better as two independent tales. Still, the two big climaxes worked well, the reveal of the plot twist was quite surprising and there was an enigmatic finish just to send you off to bed scratching your head over the exact relationship between Joseph and Ecclestone's wife (brother and sister, childhood sweethearts?).

As for the acting, I wasn't particularly held by any of the major parts. Ecclestone and his wife seemed unsuited, generating no real belief to me anyway of a strong, loving relationship. Likewise, I had a hard time accepting Joseph as the senior cop over Ecclestone, while as for the dysfunctional family I found the actors playing their parts pretty dysfunctional too, especially the two snotty teenagers.

However in its favour, the solitariness of the countryside was put to good use and there was sufficient tension, punctuated by dramatic action, to keep me watching over the four episodes.

On the whole then, a commendable thriller, just a bit too cliché-bound and improbable to fully convince.

I was really enjoying the plot and potential twists,

the story line addressed some good real life scenarios with a dramatic effect which would of gripped many people, however the final episode was unrealistic in so many ways and so poorly constructed,

the ending was particularly poor. The acting was good and the scenery was spectacular set in a beautiful part of England I felt really let down by the fourth episode and indeed questioned whether that was the end and subsequently wished I hadn't wasted my time. This type of series seems to be on the up, however I like a real conclusion that is believable in some way, this was not. Would not watch a second season based on the ending here.

I watched both series pretty much back to back and had mixed opinions. The first series was amazing. From Christopher Eccleston to Harriet Cains the cast was amazing with a kick ass story. Although series 2 had a great cast with people like Sunetra Sarker and Ashley Walters, the story wasn't as good with not the best ending.

Watched 1st series and was on edge of seat - brilliant cast, plot and scenery. Couldn't wait to watch the 2nd series.. all going ok until the 4th episode - huh? What happened? Really... that's it? Talk about unfinished business. Very disappointing. Watch the 1st and enjoy, just don't bother with the 2nd as it will definitely not live up to your expectations.

Both seasons had interesting stories, but both fell flat and had unsatisfying endings.

The ending of season 1 was left unresolved and the ending of season 2 didn't really do anything, it just ended.

First series and episodes kept my interest and I wasn't expecting the ending or figured out the ex-officer's buddy was compromised and dirty. The scenery was beautiful and I sure could live in a place just like that. Now, the second series, I'm having a hard time getting into the story. Could have something to do with the abrupt change of characters and story line. I would have liked to see a continuation and culmination of the first series before going in a totally different direction with new cast and different characters. I'll try to watch Series 2 once again with an open mind, but I truly want to know what happened with the characters in Season One.

My ears only perked up over this because it's starring two people I tend to watch in anything.

It starts off with a cop who decides to moonlight as a safe house keeper (I don't know the proper terminology for person running a safe house) and a family who needs a safe house. There's a bad guy who might turn out to be batshit, or he might turn out to be justifiably provoked by the so-called innocent family... They don't commit to any thing in the pilot other that to let you know this is probably going to turn into a home invasion/ psycho on the loose type thing, by how strongly they reinforce "sketchy cop with backstory", "Psycho in the wild", "remote location", "No one can hear you scream". That last one is implied, but altogether, the suspense and mystery is strong in this one, and I'm pretty sure somebody will be murdered by someone they didn't expect to be murdered by.

The cop, not exactly disgraced, but retired, almost definitely might have some secrets he's keeping from his friends, his boss, his wife or all three.

The wife is almost suspiciously hot, and I feel there's some story there as to how that works... It is equally likely one of them is a psycho - it sort of has a vibe that makes you thing the season finale could wind up being Trauma (Colin Firth suspense thriller).

It's based somewhere British, I don't know where because I'm horrible at accent deviation, but it's nice to look at at least and nice to listen to. It looks like a valley where someone would find loch ness monster pics

I found Season 1 much more engaging than the boring Season 2 which after 2 episodes I had lost interest in. They telegraphed the killer in S2. I didnt find any of the characters particulary likeable and didnt care about any of them.

This is an example of a thin ITV drama stretched out and reliant on its star power. Christopher Eccleston was protecting the wife of a gangster who was shot dead as she was due to give evidence against her husband.

The now retired Eccleston still haunted by his past mistake is running a guest house in the Lake District with his wife. He is asked by his old boss Paterson Joseph to turn it into a safe house for a family whose son is being stalked by a psychopath released from jail.

Both multiple plot lines head for a dramatic and explosive showdown but feels more like a damp squib especially as you always feel the Joseph is somehow implicated in the first plot line. Plenty of flashbacks and overwrought characters but it could had been told more effectively in two hours.

In short, it works with multiple plotlines thickening nicely, with nothing feeling forced or as though it's being withheld, with notions and concepts like guilt and redemption, trust and betrayal. There is plenty of suspense, but no melodrama, and there is a superb cast gathered round Eccleston, who remains a consummate master of the small screen.

This is what I would regard as a typical ITV series - it starts intriguingly enough but ultimately disappoints. I have no beef with the actors who all played their parts as well as the ridiculous script allowed them to. I'm not going to give any spoilers in this review because there are no spoilers to give away because it's all so predictable. The actions of the characters are nonsensical, to say the least and the whole thing could have been over and done with in two episodes. In fact it looked like the writer had two incomplete stories and in his haste to get something on TV had fused them together in an attempt to make something passable. And don't get me started on the ending. Avoid this at all costs. It is without doubt the most boring, pointless and least suspenseful suspense thriller of the year, where most of the (in)action takes place in the most depressing B&B in Britain. It has no TV or internet, which would be a good thing for any guests staying there because they wouldn't have to watch rubbish like Safe House. If I could have given it no stars I would have.

Very poor work of screenplay writers. It was interesting in a very beginning of each season but then you understand that characters are not developed enough. A lit of inconsistencies and very illogical behavior. It's obvious that no work was done to understand how people in Safehouse should work. It was very annoying to see their stupid actions. A lot if lose ends in stories which we see in both seasons. It was a pity to lose time on this.

Based on the cover I was looking for British noir. Unfortunately the only uniquely interesting thing about this offering was the misleading DVD cover. 1. Not interesting characters. Not believable characterizations & roles. 2. Usual filler of time with antagonisms between almost all characters. 3. Really poor police intelligence & poor, if any, forensics. 4. Predictably, least expected will have the most guilt. 5. What little was shown of crimes seemed overly staged & cheaply rendered. 6. Crows are a cheap thriller hook; they need to unionize & get better legal representation.

Incredibly stupid series. There were so many plot holes. The safe house keepers were total novices and weren't capable of minding a dog. Couldn't see it through as it was making me so annoyed. Didn't deserve even 1 star. Please, don't waste your time.

....but that's it I'm afraid. I was taken in initially and then I was in disbelief. Ok, I get that without the negligence of the of the characters, from the police, the family to the safe house operators, there wouldn't be much of a story. I tried to accept this is tv, only to find that I was ahead of the plot...resulting in fast forwarding the final episode.

Just dont bother. I've always rated Christopher eccleston but what on earth he's doing in this thinly plotted so called drama defeats me. Complete waste of time.

The two seasons of this series had well known actors in the cast. That, along with good acting, reasonably good directing, and production values. Made the series watch able. However the plots were rather sub par. As with many TV series, the premier season is fairly good, while the second season isn't. The most interesting thing in the series, is discovering the secrets that the various characters have. The dialog in the series is passable, but any writing in regards to the overall plot. Isn't as good and there are plot holes that are never explained. Also, the writers rely on characters doing stupid, reckless, and selfish things to move the plots along. I think one of the worse scenes is with a seasoned former police officer running after a car speeding away with his kidnapped wife inside, calling her name. Talk about an exercise in futility, with a heavy dose of melodrama.

Pretty formulaic stuff here, nicely made in a picturesque Lake District location. It kept my attention throughout, but failed to offer any particular thrills or surprises. It did raise my blood pressure on a number of occasions though, albeit unintentionally. Mainly because it failed to offer any likeable characters to root for. By the fourth episode I was pretty much hoping that every single person in it would die a horrible death - which I suspect was not the intention of the show. Still, the one character I didn't loathe - the young boy - gave a solid and believable performance, which actually eclipsed all of the more experienced adult talent, with the exception of Christopher E, who gave his usual strong but by-the-numbers turn. Fairly typical ITV drama. Not great, not terrible.

I'm on S.1, Ep.3 knowing that I can't even watch the final episode. The actors did a fine job in their respective roles, however, my main issue is the way the characters were written. What woman who is a certain age who wants to get pregnant would agree to converting her home into a safe house because her husband thinks it's a good idea? Hey, let's put our lives in danger! The rest of the characters save the little boy, Joe, are either obnoxious, downright stupid, or disturbingly angry at the world. Why would writers portray characters who have no redeeming qualities? The actors were paid but I wonder if they are embarrassed that they signed up for this limited series.

WTF - completely different main characters in the 2nd season. The plot doesn't need it to be about the safehouse owners AND the people being protected. Then a lame crappy ending.