Reviewed by Kate Rodger
Now this is what I call a cast. An Oscar-winning Dame, two Oscar-winning gents, a double Oscar-nominee, and Bruce Willis. Mixing it up with these A-listers, is Kwi Karl Urban, in yet another big Hollywood role.
Considering all those thespian, don’t go expecting too much thesping; Red is an action-comedy, and these guys are simply having some time out from impressing the Academy, and having some fun with guns and stuff instead.
The story sees Willis (Die Hard/The Sixth Sense) in the lead role of Frank Moses, a retired CIA agent who misses his former life. That former life comes back to haunt him, his old boss, the US government, appears to want him dead. This is where New Zealand actor Karl Urban comes in. He's a ruthless young CIA agent leading the hunt for Moses, in a conspiracy which goes all the way from Guatemala to the White House.
To survive, and to expose the bad guys, he enlists the help of a few old friends, each of them like him, are only too happy to come out of retirement.
For a bit of romance, Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) enters the picture. A bored government pensions minion with pipe-dreams of a more exciting life, she gets her wish in more ways than one after Moses kind of kidnaps her.
What we have here is a great idea and an awesome cast. Dame Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Bruce Willis, even Richard Dreyfuss makes an appearance. Karl Urban more than holds his own too amidst all that clinking of Oscars, and gets to kick some Willis butt while he does it.
So the let down here for me here was the uninspiring almost lazy script, which failed to live up to the talent. Its comic-book origins didn’t translate as well as the likes of Scott Pilgrim or Kick-Ass, lacking their snap, crackle and pop.
And while I see the storytelling purpose of the romance between Moses and Sarah, their relationship and the way it plays out lacked authenticity.
But still, I didn’t get bored, and given the great cast and the accessible premise, Red will undoubtedly have wide mainstream appeal.
Three stars.
3 News
Red
:: Director: Robert Schwentke
:: Starring: Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker, Karl Urban, Richard Dreyfuss, Brian Cox
:: Running Time: 111 mins
:: Rating: M - Contains Violence & Offensive Language
:: Release Date: October 28, 2010
:: Trailer: Watch here
