Saw “Red” on Saturday night and it was great fun–I liked it a lot and so did the crowd, judging by the fact that the theater was fairly full for a movie that hasn’t gotten great reviews and came out last week. And it was one of the few films I’ve seen this year that got APPLAUSE at the end — when was the last time you were in a theater and the folks around you clapped at the end of the movie? I know no one clapped at the end of “The Expendables,” but that was probably because I caught it at the cheap theater and there were only a few people. Ever notice how people are more likely to clap in a crowded room, or “shush” their talkative fellow audience members? Maybe there’s bravery in numbers.
Anyway, “Red” was a blast — sure, there were massive plot holes and a few cringe-inducing scenes of terrible acting, but where else are you going to see Helen Mirren manning a GIGANTIC 50-caliber mounted machine gun? She plays a sniper in the film. A SNIPER! This is the queen of England, for God’s sake! Bruce Willis plays Frank Mason, a retired James Bond-type who wakes up every morning at 6 a.m., works out, and then spend the whole day regretting his retirement. He’s carrying on a pathetic phone-flirtation with an operator at the faceless bureau that cuts his retirement checks, tearing them up so that he has an excuse to call in and talk to a woman he’s never seen.
But after a “wet team” of professional assassins attacks his home in the middle of the night, Frank is on the run for his life. John Malkovich is a crazy, ex-CIA agent who was dosed with way too much LSD in the seventies, and Morgan Freeman plays Willis’ best friend from his operative days. Now, someone is trying to kill them all, and it’s up to this group of retirees to find out who — and stop them.
Synopsis:
Based on the cult D.C. Comics graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer, RED is an explosive action-comedy starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren. Frank (Bruce Willis), Joe (Morgan Freeman), Marvin (John Malkovich) and Victoria (Helen Mirren) used to be the CIA’s top agents – but the secrets they know just made them the Agency’s top targets. Now framed for assassination, they must use all of their collective cunning, experience and teamwork to stay one step ahead of their deadly pursuers and stay alive. To stop the operation, the team embarks on an impossible, cross-country mission to break into the top-secret CIA headquarters, where they will uncover one of the biggest conspiracies and cover-ups in government history.
- Genre: Action and Adventure, Comedy
- Official Site: http://www.Red-TheMovie.com
- Director: Robert Schwentke
- Cast: Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban, Mary-Louise Parker
- Run Time: 111 minute
