Safe House (2012)

In the heart of 1985 Auckland, Carole Taylor, a reformed party girl and single mother, wrestles to create a stable haven for her two young children. Her past, personified by her relentless ex-boyfriend Tony Michaels, threatens to fracture the delicate world she's painstakingly constructed. Despite Carole's firm rebuffs, Tony continues to intrude, culminating in an ominous early morning appearance, his clothes drenched in blood. The brutal murder of drug trafficker Alan Sheridan propels Detective Inspector Andrew Hunter into the fray, with Tony and his accomplice Freddie Prichard squarely in his sights. But in an era prior to DNA profiling, personal computers, and mobile phones, police investigation is an arduous, time-consuming task. His only leads are two witnesses, Carole and her eight-year-old daughter Rosie, and a missing CCTV tape. Reluctantly, Carole and her children are whisked into hiding by a trio of mismatched policemen: a weary veteran on the brink of retirement, an impressionable rookie, and a potential predator. Set against the backdrop of New Zealand in 1985, witness protection is still in its infancy and these ill-equipped officers are ill-prepared for the dual threat they confront. Tony, reckless in his pursuit of eradicating the evidence against him, and Hunter, ruthless in his quest for justice, are on a collision course. Both are ready to use Carole, her children, and the police officers as pawns in their dangerous game. Marooned in a rundown bungalow in a rural town, the simmering tension mounts as personalities clash and their safety net begins to unravel. Carole, a single mother with children from different fathers and ties to a murderer, is met with scorn from her supposed protectors. As her desperation to escape intensifies, they morph from guardians into wardens. Hunter, eager for a resolution, escalates the situation by withdrawing the police protection, leaving Carole to fend for herself. She's soon confronted with a harrowing revelation. Her nine-year-old son Paul, has been unknowingly harbouring the sought-after CCTV tape that captured Sheridan's murder. As Tony closes in to retrieve it, Carole is left defenseless. To save her children, she must rely solely on her unwavering determination and primal instinct for survival. 'Safe House' is an electrifying tale of survival against all odds, set within the early days of New Zealand's witness protection programme. At its core, it's the story of a mother's desperate battle to safeguard her children in a perilous and foreign world.

Safe House is a crime movie featuring Morgana O'Reilly and directed by John Laing.

Safe House is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Freevee, Tubi TV and VUDU Free.

It is also possible to buy Safe House on Amazon Video.