Red Movie Review – Red is okay, almost
There are things that are beyond the realm of possibility, even for Hollywood movies, but you dare to question the authenticity of certain acts, especially when they are being performed by Bruce ‘John McClane’ Willis. Based on the graphic novels by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer, director Robert Schwentke’s Red does much more than simply push the boundaries of believability.
red film history
Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) used to be a high-ranking CIA agent who has nothing better to do with his retired life than enjoy long-distance phone chats with Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker), his claims officer whom he has never met. met in person. Out of the blue, an undercover team is dispatched to kill him, but old habits die hard and Moses ends up surviving. He realizes that whoever is trying to take him down is going to lunge at Sarah, so she kidnaps her from her to save her life. Once Moses connects the dots, it becomes quite clear that the clear and present danger to his life stems from some dubious action in the past. So he starts assembling his old team: a stage 4 liver cancer patient Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman), a completely insane and extremely paranoid Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), the KGB’s former enemy and best shot. Ivan Simanov (Brain Cox) and former MI:6 agent who now loves tending Victoria’s (Helen Mirren) gardens to make sure they outsmart the enemy. The five of them with Sarah, who is enjoying this wild ride, have to find out who is trying to kill them before Agent America and CIA man William Cooper (Karl Urban) carry out their orders.
Red stands for Retired and Extremely Dangerous and the thought of Bruce Willis in the lead role doesn’t defy the imagination, but Schwentke assembles quite an interesting cast of actors to play the supporting roles that make Red delightful to a degree. Sadly, even with the combined talents of Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Brian Cox, and Helen Mirren, Red is still very much a silly, no-nonsense action comedy rather than the smart movie it could have been. converted. Some of the gags are more than decent and will make you laugh, but mostly it’s the mechanical action sequences that fill in the gaps.
final words in red
In an ‘old school vs. new school’ kind of setup, Red’s best moments, not surprisingly, are the ones where veterans like Mirren, Cox and Malkovich do the talking. While Willis surely leads this group, things take a turn when Mirren enters; All he has to do is stand there and Willis ends up looking like nothing more than a fan! Louise-Parker looks happy just to be part of the elite group, Willis packs the chops but Freeman gets the underdog role. However, Red is most enjoyed thanks to the great cast that raises the routine fare.
Read Cast: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Brian Cox and Helen Mirren.
Red Written By: Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber (based on the graphic novels by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner)
Red Director: Robert Schwentke
Red Genre: Action / Comedy / Drama
Red Ratings: 2.5/5