The thought of Helen Mirren toting around a machine gun in an action movie had honestly never occurred to me. Or, if it had, I would have assumed it would have been in some horrible movie where granny forgot her meds and went on a rampage. Luckily, Red is not like that. Instead, it is awesome. Finally we get an entertaining action movie (a comic book movie even) that is as original as it is familiar. Red might tempt you into thinking that its just another one of those super-team action movies that have been released recently (A Team, The Expendibles, The Losers) but instead of a lethal and quirky team of mercenaries and ex-marines, they are old retired secret agents. And at its core, that’s what Red is, but it also offers so much more. The plot may be kind of cookie-cutter, but the acting, script, character development, and even some of the action is top notch. This film is easily the best of those quirky team movies, and definitely the best comic book movie of the year so far.
Synopsis: Frank Moses is a lonely retired CIA agent. When the government marks him as RED (Retired and Extremely Dangerous) he finds a hit squad on his front doorstep. Now on the run, he seeks out his old allies, in an attempt to figure out why he had suddenly been designated RED. Together they band together to fight for their rights or at least to go out in a blaze of glory…
Acting: While this is not a dramatic masterpiece, the star-studded cast does a stellar job. Bruce Willis is his typical action-hero self as Frank Moses. Charming and tough at the same time, Willis has been doing this too long to know not to mess with success. Mary-Louise Parker is here as Moses’ love interest, and her go-easy attitude and seemingly dull outlook on life makes for a very funny character when contrasted with everyone else. John Malkovich, though, is the shining star. He is brilliantly “out-there” as Marvin Boggs, a colleague of Moses. His performance is characterized by excellent timing and a high-energy effort, make the film worth seeing by itself. Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman are along for the ride too, doing a typically professional job while having a bit more fun than they are used to in their typical roles. There’s also Karl Urban as the CIA agent trying to track down Moses. He does a perfect job walking that fine line between a good guy and a bad guy, because even though he is trying to kill the hero of the film, you never feel animosity at him for trying to do his job. Good (24/25)
- Bruce Willis: Good
- Mary-Louise Parker: Good
- John Malkovich: Great
- Morgan Freeman: Good
- Helen Mirren: Good
- Karl Urban: Good
- Supporting Cast: Good
Script/Plot: Like I said, the story is kind of like a hodge-podge of things you’ve seen before. Its like The Losers mixed with The Bourne Supremacy mixed with Salt, and then add in a little Live Free or Die Hard. Still, it is entertaining enough and there are plenty of twists to keep you on your toes. The dialogue is perfect; funny, full-of-heart, and witty. The writers did a good job though making the characters the focus of the movie, and all that action and scheming is secondary. That being said, its not a total explosion-riot as other summer movies have been. The movie takes a while to get going and once it does it is running mostly on wit and comedy than actual adrenaline from the action. It also jumps around quite a bit from location to location, which can get a little confusing. Still, I’d rather have good characters and realistic action than forgettable characters and impossible action sequences (cough…The Losers). Okay (17/25)
- Dialogue: Good
- Script: Okay
- Plot: Okay
- Themes/Messages: Good
Direction: While director Robert Schwentke does not have a discernible style, he borrows ideas from other action films to produce a satisfying final product. The action scenes, while mostly stationary, are filmed well and are easy to follow. The movie feels much like a spy movie thanks to fast moving title sequences styled like postcards (similar to what was done in Quantum of Solace and before that in Oceans 12). There are lots of neat gadgets and secret compartments, but the camera always stays focused on the characters, in a sense showing the audience that the movie is about people, not technology. I would like to have seen more ingenuity, but this is the director’s first real action movie. Good (21/25)
- Professionalism: Okay
- Flow: Good
- Editing: Good
Special Effects: In general the special effects are good. This isn’t a special-effects ridden movie, as most of the action is gunfights or hand-to-hand combat. Still, the movie looks good. The sets look realistic and the locations the movie is filmed in add to the fun. Music is decent, if generic. What makes this movie stand out is its excellent characters given life by its veteran cast. Good (23/25)
- Special Effects: Good
- Music: Okay
- X-Factor: Good
The Verdict: (85/100) = B (Recommended)
- What’s Good: The A-list cast pulls their weight, making this one of the few witty character-driven comic book movies. There’s also some good ol-fashioned down-to-earth action sequences and a plot with some fun twists.
- What’s Bad: In reality the plot isn’t all that original and for being advertised as an action movie it really is not action-driven.
- The Verdict: Ironic that it takes a few old people to make this new dream-team action movie work.
My previous review: Rated: THX 1138 (1971)
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