Not Safe for Work (film)

Last updated
Not Safe for Work
NotSafeforWork.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Joe Johnston
Written by
  • Simon Boyes
  • Adam Mason
Produced by Jason Blum
Starring
CinematographyJonathan Taylor
Edited byRick Shaine
Music by Tyler Bates
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • May 9, 2014 (2014-05-09)
Running time
70 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Not Safe for Work is a 2014 American thriller film directed by Joe Johnston [1] and written by Simon Boyes and Adam Mason. The film stars Max Minghella, JJ Feild, Eloise Mumford, and Christian Clemenson. Minghella stars as a paralegal who witnesses an unknown man (Feild) murder a lawyer at his nearly empty workplace.

Contents

Plot

John Ferguson, a whistleblower at Denning, a major pharmaceutical company, becomes disillusioned with the perceived lack of action taken against the company, murders several executives, and commits suicide as the police enter the building. Tom Miller, a paralegal assigned to the Denning case, subsequently loses confidence in the scheduled trial against Denning, as Ferguson was their star witness. Miller's boss criticizes his idealism as financially unsound, and when Miller writes an unsolicited memo on an unrelated case on the Gambizzi crime family, Alan Emmerich, one of the partners at the law firm, fires him. Roger, Miller's friend and a fellow paralegal, initially commiserates with Miller, but returns to the office in order to work late. Emmerich sends everyone else, including Miller's girlfriend, Anna, home early due to a technical problem with the firm's Internet access.

As Miller leaves the building, he sees a man in a suit set down a briefcase. A different man then picks up the suitcase and enters an elevator. Curious, Miller follows the man with the briefcase, only to see him produce a pistol from the briefcase and murder Janine, a lawyer. Panicked, Miller hides from the killer in the bathroom, where he discovers the body of a security guard. When he alerts Roger to the danger, Roger objects to Miller's plan to save Emmerich, as Roger does not believe that Emmerich would do the same for them. Regardless, Miller instructs Roger to contact the authorities as he tries to find Emmerich. Before Roger can make the call, the killer finds and strangles him. As Miller's recharging cell phone chimes, the killer realizes that there are more people left in the building than he anticipated.

Miller uses his knowledge of the building's security to evade capture and eventually discovers Emmerich in an office with a woman who Emmerich identifies as Lorraine Gambizzi. When the killer breaks into the room, Gambizzi grabs a pistol, but the killer is able to shoot her first. Not noticing Miller, who hides, the killer spares Emmerich's life and orders him to stay in the office. When the killer leaves, Miller surmises that the killer is a Gambizzi hitman sent to kill Lorraine, who was going to testify against her husband. With her death, Miller hopes the killer will leave. However, the killer attempts to gain entry into the record room, a reinforced vault that Miller and Emmerich use as a safe room. Using Miller's recharged cell phone, the killer draws Anna back to the building and taunts Miller with this fact.

The killer takes Anna hostage as soon as she arrives. Drawn out of the vault, Miller attempts to trade his access card for Anna's life, but the killer reneges on the deal, wounding Emmerich as he shoots at them. Now with access to the records, the killer starts a fire, only to realize that Miller tricked him into accepting a fake access card. Locked in the vault as the records burn, he chokes and falls unconscious. Miller enters the room to extinguish the fire, after which he realizes that the killer has recovered. As the killer beats Miller, Anna knocks him out with a fire extinguisher. Emmerich recovers the killer's pistol and fatally injures him. Before he dies, the killer whispers a code to Miller.

Curious about the killer's last words, Miller investigates further and discovers that Emmerich likely targeted Roger for assassination because of his own whistleblowing about how the law firm was intending to throw the Denning case. When he confronts Emmerich, Emmerich begs him to destroy the evidence, as Emmerich believes the pharmaceutical company to be more powerful and ruthless than any crime family. When Miller refuses, Emmerich commits suicide. As Miller and Anna leave the building, the killer's earlier accomplice, now revealed to be a police officer, alerts his superiors, and a hitman outside the building radios that he has visual confirmation of Miller.

Cast

Production

The film was announced on February 1, 2012, as a low-budget thriller, with Joe Johnston set to direct. [1]

On February 13, 2012, it was reported that Max Minghella was in talks to star as the film's protagonist, with Eloise Mumford in talks to play his girlfriend. [2]

On February 24, 2012, it was reported that JJ Feild, Tom Gallop and Christian Clemenson had joined the cast. Feild had previously worked with Johnston on Captain America: The First Avenger . [3]

Principal photography began in March 2012. [4] The film was in post-production as of August 2012. [5]

Release

On June 6, 2013, it was reported that the film would bypass a theatrical release and would instead get a VOD release at an unspecified date. [6]

On February 3, 2014, the poster for the film was released, along with the news of the film's DVD release on April 15, 2014. [7] On February 23, 2014, a trailer for the film was released. [8]

On February 27, 2014, the film was described as "long-finished" by Universal Studios chairman Donna Langley, who said that while the film would not get a theatrical release, it might get a video on-demand release. "Someday we believe there will be an opportunity to monetize that movie on a distribution platform or as a bundle [sold with other films]. It's theoretical, but we're assuming distribution is going to become more varied." [9]

The film was released in the United States on DVD on May 9, 2014. [10] On September 9, 2014, it was announced that the film would be released digitally in October 2014. [11]

Reception

Martin Hafer of Influx Magazine rated it A− and wrote, "It's worth your time and is awfully good and just goes to show you that you don't need mega-stars and mega-budgets to make a good film." [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Léon: The Professional</i> 1994 film by Luc Besson

Léon: The Professional, titled Leon in the UK, is a 1994 English-language French action-thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson. It stars Jean Reno and Gary Oldman, and features the film debut of Natalie Portman. The plot follows Léon (Reno), a professional hitman, who reluctantly takes in twelve-year-old Mathilda (Portman) after her family is murdered by corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration agent Norman Stansfield (Oldman). Léon and Mathilda form an unusual relationship, as she becomes his protégée and learns the hitman's trade.

<i>Truly, Madly, Deeply</i> 1990 British film

Truly, Madly, Deeply is a 1990 British fantasy drama film made for the BBC's Screen Two series, by BBC Films, Lionheart and Winston Pictures. The film, written and directed by Anthony Minghella, stars Juliet Stevenson and Alan Rickman.

Anthony Minghella British film director, playwright and screenwriter

Anthony Minghella, was a British film director, playwright and screenwriter. He was chairman of the board of Governors at the British Film Institute between 2003 and 2007.

<i>Frequency</i> (2000 film) 2000 science fiction-thriller-drama film by Gregory Hoblit

Frequency is a 2000 American science fiction thriller drama film starring Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel.

<i>The Talented Mr. Ripley</i> (film) 1999 film by Anthony Minghella

The Talented Mr. Ripley is a 1999 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Anthony Minghella, and based on Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel of the same name. It stars Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, with Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett and Philip Seymour Hoffman in supporting roles. It received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Law.

Roland Emmerich German filmmaker

Roland Emmerich is a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is widely known for his science fiction and disaster films and has been called a "master of disaster" within the industry. His films, most of which are English-language Hollywood productions, have made more than $3 billion worldwide, including just over $1 billion in the United States, making him the country's 15th-highest-grossing director of all time. He began his work in the film industry by directing the film The Noah's Ark Principle (1984) as part of his university thesis and also co-founded Centropolis Entertainment in 1985 with his sister. He is also known for directing films such as Universal Soldier (1992), Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996) and its sequel Independence Day: Resurgence (2016), Godzilla (1998), The Patriot (2000), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), 10,000 BC (2008), 2012 (2009), White House Down (2013), Midway (2019), and Moonfall (2022). He is a collector of art and an LGBT activist, and is openly gay.

<i>Sin City</i> (film) 2005 American crime thriller film

Sin City is a 2005 American neo-noir crime anthology film produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. It is based on Miller's graphic novel of the same name.

Max Minghella English actor and filmmaker

Max Giorgio Choa Minghella is an English actor, film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is known for his roles in the films Syriana (2005), Art School Confidential (2006), Elvis and Anabelle (2007), The Social Network (2010), The Ides of March (2011), The Internship (2013), Horns (2013), and Spiral (2021), as well as his role as Nick Blaine in the television series The Handmaid's Tale (2017–present), which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 2021.

Kat Dennings American actress (born 1986)

Katherine Victoria Litwack, known professionally as Kat Dennings, is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Max Black in the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls (2011–2017) and as Darcy Lewis in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero films Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), and the Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021).

John Joseph Feild is a British-American film, television and theatre actor. He started his television career in 1999. Feild played Fred Garland in Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North television adaptations. In 2007, he starred as Henry Tilney in the television film Northanger Abbey. The following year, he made his West End debut in a production of Ring Round the Moon. From 2014 to 2016, Feild portrayed Major John André in Turn: Washington's Spies. Feild's film credits include Telstar (2009), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Austenland (2013), and Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017).

<i>2000 AD</i> (film) 2000 film

2000 AD is a 2000 Hong Kong action film directed by Gordon Chan, who also wrote the screenplay with Stu Zicherman, produced by John Chong, Solon So and David Leong. The film stars Aaron Kwok, Phyllis Quek, James Lye and Daniel Wu. The film was shot on location in both Hong Kong and Singapore. The film was released theatrically in Hong Kong on 3 February 2000. It was timed to screen during the peak Chinese New Year period.

"Not in Nottingham" is a song from Walt Disney's animated film Robin Hood written and performed by Roger Miller. The performance by Miller, with narration provided by the minstrel rooster Alan-a-Dale, takes place in the rain while the poor are imprisoned. It is one of three songs sung in the film by Miller, the others being "Whistle-Stop" and "Oo-De-Lally".

<i>2012</i> (film) 2009 disaster movie by Roland Emmerich

2012 is a 2009 American science fiction disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich. It was produced by Harald Kloser, Mark Gordon, and Larry J. Franco, and written by Kloser and Emmerich. The film stars John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Oliver Platt, Thandiwe Newton, Danny Glover, and Woody Harrelson. Based on the 2012 phenomenon, its plot follows geologist Adrian Helmsley (Ejiofor) and novelist Jackson Curtis (Cusack) as they experience an eschatological sequence of events including earthquakes, volcano eruptions, megatsunamis and a global flood, all of which were imagined by subscribers to the hypothesis.

<i>The Oklahoma Woman</i> 1956 film by Roger Corman

The Oklahoma Woman is a 1956 American Western film directed by Roger Corman.

Naked Paradise is a 1957 drama film directed by Roger Corman. It stars Richard Denning and Beverly Garland.

<i>So Undercover</i> 2013 American film

So Undercover is a 2013 American action-comedy film directed by Tom Vaughan and written by Allan Loeb and Steven Pearl. Starring Miley Cyrus, Jeremy Piven, and Mike O'Malley. The film was released direct-to-video in the United States on February 5, 2013. The film has been released in theatres of only 13 countries worldwide. The film was held back without a release date from 2011 until 2013.

Eloise Mumford American actress

Eloise Mumford is an American actress known for her roles on the television series Lone Star, The River, The Right Stuff and the Fifty Shades of Grey film series.

<i>Grand Jury Secrets</i> 1939 film by James P. Hogan

Grand Jury Secrets is a 1939 American mystery film directed by James P. Hogan and written by Irving Reis, Maxwell Shane and Robert Yost. The film stars John Howard, Gail Patrick, William Frawley, Jane Darwell, Porter Hall and Harvey Stephens. The film was released on June 23, 1939, by Paramount Pictures.

Jhon Jairo Velásquez Colombian contract killer (1962–2020)

Jhon Jairo Velásquez Vásquez, also known by the alias "Popeye" or "JJ", was a Colombian hitman, who was part of the criminal structure of the Medellín Cartel until his surrender to the Colombian justice system in 1992. Within this structure, he claimed to be a lieutenant commanding half of the sicarios.

<i>Billy Summers</i> Novel by Stephen King

Billy Summers is a crime novel written by American author Stephen King, published by Scribner on August 3, 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 "Captain America Helmer Joe Johnston to Direct Not Safe For Work". hollywoodreporter.com. February 1, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  2. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (February 13, 2012). "Universal taps thesps for low-budget Work". Variety. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  3. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (February 24, 2012). "Johnston reteams with Captain thesp". Variety. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  4. ↑ Michaud, Sarah; Jordan, Julie (March 16, 2012). "Neve Campbell and JJ Feild Expecting First Child". People . Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  5. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 2, 2012). "Bryan Brucks To Head Luber Roklin Lit Division". www.deadline.com. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  6. ↑ Horn, John (June 6, 2013). "The Purge hopes to make a killing for less". www.latimes.com. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  7. ↑ Barton, Steve (February 3, 2014). "Not Safe For Work Safe for DVD in April". www.dreadcentral.com. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Trailer for Not Safe For Work Thriller, from Captain America Director Joe Johnston". www.worstpreviews.com. February 23, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  9. ↑ Masters, Kim (February 27, 2014). "Jason Blum's Crowded Movie Morgue: Downside of a Microbudget Empire". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Hafer, Martin. "Not Safe for Work". Influx Magazine. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  11. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 9, 2014). "Blumhouse Launches Multi-Platform Arm BH-Tilt". www.deadline.com. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.