Red (B or 3/4 stars)
For this movie, RED stands for Retired Extremely Dangerous (assassins), and that's exactly what we get in 'Red', directed by Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler's Wife, Flightplan). When the film opens, 50-something Frank Morse (Bruce Willis) is flirting on the phone with a woman he's never met by the name of Sarah (Mary-Lousie Parker). He's residing in a bland Cleveland suburb, where the humdrum boredom of retirement is getting him down; and she's a claims officer in Kansas City who handles the problems he keeps having with his pension checks. Lucky for Frank, one night, after having decorated his bare house for Christmas (the rest of the neighborhood is full of X-mas cheer), a hit team sneaks into his house, ambushes him ... but Frank's black-ops assassin skills kick into gear. Before long, he's on the run, with CIA super-agent Cooper (a great Karl Urban) hot on his tail.
After getting to Kansas City to kidnap Sarah (who's in danger, just because of her phone calls with Frank), he starts reassembling his old team: 80 yr. old stage 4 cancer victim, Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman); LSD-fried Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), whose paranoia permeates the screen; KGB member Ivan Simanov (Brian Cox), who enjoys working with prior enemies; & former MI6 agent Victoria (Helen Mirren), whose retirement sentiments echo Frank's. The secrets they know from the past are what's making them top targets today. Their goal: figure out who is at the root of the people trying to kill them, and WHY. Framed for assassination, they must use their wits, experience, & weapon skills to stay one step ahead of their pursuers. And it's hard enough to do all of that out when they've got Agent Cooper dogging them at every corner of the country. Conspiracies, government cover-ups, & massive explosions ensue.
Based on comic book origins, Red's plot is as wacky & preposterous as they come. Truly. But ... it doesn't matter all that much when the tone of the film is so tongue-in-cheek fun, and the performances are as lively as they are. The level of wisecracking going on btwn. these great actors is just a hoot to watch. I can't help but think about The Expendables when reviewing this film. 'Red' is what The Expendables hoped to be. This film had all the humor, pizzazz, AND fun action that most of The Expendables didn't. That film lumbered under self-seriousness, witless characterizations, & redundant blasts of incoherent action.
No one in the cast gives Oscar caliber work, here; not that type of movie. But the actors ARE self-consciously funny, witty, & adept at balancing the one-liners before, after, & even during the big action sequences. There's a comfort level btwn. these actors that is just a pleasure to watch. Bruce Willis is the perfect leader: aging, but still knows how to out-think enemies, kick-butt, & make us smile. Morgan Freeman does his usual; which is not a complaint. Brian Cox chews on the scenery as a Russian (when doesn't he?). Mary-Louise Parker charmed me as Sarah; along for the wild, crazy ride. Helen Mirren can do no wrong in my eyes. And my favorite performance was John Malkovich as the insane, neurotic, acid-damaged Marvin. He's a goofball, & a hoot - just like the movie.
Again, there is nothing exceptional about 'Red', which involves corrupt government ops, a sinister conspiracy & enough artillery for a small country. But the spirited, top-echelon cast, their camaraderie, the humor, the jolts of action, the irony of these people picking up a major weapon and having a go at it (hello, Helen Mirren) ... it all works as a solid Friday night popcorn feature. There are some lulls in the narrative (especially towards the end). A couple of things bugged me. i.e., how did one character get shot in the stomach, and then a short while later, appear fine? And I question what will become of Agent Cooper after the final climactic scene. But those questions aside, 'Red' is a film that I recommend. I can see audiences in their 20's enjoying it as much as octogenarians. Knowing that this film cannot be taken seriously, I went in hoping to sit back, relax, laugh a lot, get a high from the action, and I certainly did.
After getting to Kansas City to kidnap Sarah (who's in danger, just because of her phone calls with Frank), he starts reassembling his old team: 80 yr. old stage 4 cancer victim, Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman); LSD-fried Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), whose paranoia permeates the screen; KGB member Ivan Simanov (Brian Cox), who enjoys working with prior enemies; & former MI6 agent Victoria (Helen Mirren), whose retirement sentiments echo Frank's. The secrets they know from the past are what's making them top targets today. Their goal: figure out who is at the root of the people trying to kill them, and WHY. Framed for assassination, they must use their wits, experience, & weapon skills to stay one step ahead of their pursuers. And it's hard enough to do all of that out when they've got Agent Cooper dogging them at every corner of the country. Conspiracies, government cover-ups, & massive explosions ensue.
Based on comic book origins, Red's plot is as wacky & preposterous as they come. Truly. But ... it doesn't matter all that much when the tone of the film is so tongue-in-cheek fun, and the performances are as lively as they are. The level of wisecracking going on btwn. these great actors is just a hoot to watch. I can't help but think about The Expendables when reviewing this film. 'Red' is what The Expendables hoped to be. This film had all the humor, pizzazz, AND fun action that most of The Expendables didn't. That film lumbered under self-seriousness, witless characterizations, & redundant blasts of incoherent action.
No one in the cast gives Oscar caliber work, here; not that type of movie. But the actors ARE self-consciously funny, witty, & adept at balancing the one-liners before, after, & even during the big action sequences. There's a comfort level btwn. these actors that is just a pleasure to watch. Bruce Willis is the perfect leader: aging, but still knows how to out-think enemies, kick-butt, & make us smile. Morgan Freeman does his usual; which is not a complaint. Brian Cox chews on the scenery as a Russian (when doesn't he?). Mary-Louise Parker charmed me as Sarah; along for the wild, crazy ride. Helen Mirren can do no wrong in my eyes. And my favorite performance was John Malkovich as the insane, neurotic, acid-damaged Marvin. He's a goofball, & a hoot - just like the movie.
Again, there is nothing exceptional about 'Red', which involves corrupt government ops, a sinister conspiracy & enough artillery for a small country. But the spirited, top-echelon cast, their camaraderie, the humor, the jolts of action, the irony of these people picking up a major weapon and having a go at it (hello, Helen Mirren) ... it all works as a solid Friday night popcorn feature. There are some lulls in the narrative (especially towards the end). A couple of things bugged me. i.e., how did one character get shot in the stomach, and then a short while later, appear fine? And I question what will become of Agent Cooper after the final climactic scene. But those questions aside, 'Red' is a film that I recommend. I can see audiences in their 20's enjoying it as much as octogenarians. Knowing that this film cannot be taken seriously, I went in hoping to sit back, relax, laugh a lot, get a high from the action, and I certainly did.