Review of RED (2010) by Blake P — 30 Jan 2013

From the first moment of hearing about "Red", I rolled my eyes. Isn't Bruce Willis too old to be trying to relive his glory days? Much to my surprise, "Red" is a pretty darn good popcorn movie. It might not be the slam-bang action picture I was expecting, but it still is entertaining, light-hearted, and even funny.

Frank Moses (Willis) is an aging, ex-CIA hired gun who's still ready for action but ultimately bored by his now simply life. He spends his days working out, reading, and keeping his house in shape, and lately, devotes parts of his day to talk with Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker), a office cubicle worker just as bored as he is. Oddly enough, the CIA still believes that Frank is a threat, and after listening to he and Sarah's many phone calls, they plan to go after them. Frank isn't alone, however. He then assembles his old team (John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, and Helen Mirren) to help him out, and before long, they uncover a secret mass murder that may have been the work of the Vice President.

Turns out, it's more fun than you'd think to watch aging actors (except Willis) be the doers of mayhem. "Red" is a lot smarter than it deserves to be. Even though a week after seeing it you may have forgotten all about it, the ride up is goofy and witty. Willis is as macho as usual, but the real treat is to see normally mannered actors, in this case being Malkovich, Mirren, and Freeman, to pretend to be tough assassins that get off on explosions and gun-fights, like we do; but they prefer to be responsible.

That's it though, with "Red". It isn't necessarily a terrific movie, but it's far from bad. It's somewhere in between, and I liked it. It's not trying to win any Oscars, but it's humbly giving us a bang for our buck. Everything here is stylish and well-done: what more can you ask for? "Red" is good, and nothing more, but it's not a waste of time.