By RED isn’t quite the film I was expecting when I walked into the theater. Sure, it’s an action-comedy based on a graphic novel just as it was billed, but there’s an entirely different layer to this film. With a cast that is rather advanced in age, it’s really no wonder that themes of longing for the past emerge. No, they’re not particularly deep or original, but they’re there.
RED opens with Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) enjoying a quiet life in his home, which is quickly interrupted when a storm of bullets ensures that his home will never be habitable again. With no better options, he travels to Kansas City to meet a pensioner whom he has been crushing on via telephone (Mary-Louise Parker) and quickly discovers she is also marked for death. They flee together in order to pick up some of Moses’s old friends, played by Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, and Morgan Freeman, and figure out why hit squads seem so intent on taking each of them out. Before long, they find themselves caught in a cover-up that extends to the very highest levels of the United States government.
Honestly, it’s not a particularly interesting plot, nor is it…
RED isn’t quite the film I was expecting when I walked into the theater. Sure, it’s an action-comedy based on a graphic novel just as it was billed, but there’s an entirely different layer to this film. With a cast that is rather advanced in age, it’s really no wonder that themes of longing for the past emerge. No, they’re not particularly deep or original, but they’re there.
RED opens with Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) enjoying a quiet life in his home, which is quickly interrupted when a storm of bullets ensures that his home will never be habitable again. With no better options, he travels to Kansas City to meet a pensioner whom he has been crushing on via telephone (Mary-Louise Parker) and quickly discovers she is also marked for death. They flee together in order to pick up some of Moses’s old friends, played by Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, and Morgan Freeman, and figure out why hit squads seem so intent on taking each of them out. Before long, they find themselves caught in a cover-up that extends to the very highest levels of the United States government.
Honestly, it’s not a particularly interesting plot, nor is it particularly well developed. The reason for the cover up is one that is easy to understand but hard to feel invested in, as the film doesn’t provide much exploration into what actually happened. Instead, it relies upon saying that a massacre happened and it was bad, so the person responsible must be punished. Really, the plot is just a reason for the characters involved to blow a lot of stuff up.
Luckily, those characters really do carry the film. Bruce Willis plays an incredibly typical Bruce Willis character, but he does so with the flair that made him such a popular actor to begin with, and some of the more comedic scenes successfully bring out his silly side. He’s not the best character in the film, but this is one of Willis’s better roles in recent memory.
The title of best character goes to Malkovich’s Marvin, who is played with such an intense silliness that he quickly becomes the film’s defining character. He’s given the most memorable lines and personality quirks, and it’s largely due to his performance that this film can be called an action-comedy instead of just an action flick. He’s the very definition of a character archetype, but Malkovich plays him to perfection.
There are some great standout action scenes to be experienced too. The best moments are also the silliest, sort of like Willis launching a car into a helicopter in Live Free or Die Hard, but more cheer-worthy than groan-inducing. Discussing them would, of course, spoil the fun, but they fit in perfectly with the tone of the movie. They aren’t among the best action sequences put to film this decade – or even this year – but they are, without a doubt, fun to watch.
Seeing these actors in such ridiculous action scenes really is the highlight of the movie, not just because it’s good action, but because the audience gets to watch those particular actors playing them out. I mean, these are some old actors, but they’re on-screen and kicking ass just as much as they ever did in their “prime.” And that’s where that sliver of deeper meaning comes back, especially for those who grew up watching people like Willis and Freeman and have been disappointed in some of their recent turns. These old men and women can still kick a little ass and provide us with some serious enjoyment when they do.
Overall Score: 7.50 – Good (7s are good, but not great. These films often have a stereotypical plot or are great movies that have a few minor flaws. Fans of this movie’s genre might love it, but others will still enjoy seeing it in theaters.)
RED is an action-comedy that doesn't fully excel at either its action or its comedy. However, it remains a thoroughly entertaining film largely due to the strength of its cast and the enjoyment the audience derives from watching them cause such ridiculous chaos.
