Red Special Edition Blu-Ray Review

Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Action Violence and Brief Strong Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 51 Minutes

Cast:

Bruce Willis-Frank Moses

Mary-Louise Parker-Sarah Ross

John Malkovich-Marvin Boggs

Helen Mirren-Victoria

Morgan Freeman-Joe Matheson

Brian Cox-Ivan Simanov

Karl Urban-CIA Agent William Cooper

Richard Dreyfuss-Alexander Dunning

Julian McMahon-Vice President Robert Stanton

Rebecca Pidgeon-Cynthia Wilkes

Ernest Borgnine-Henry, The Records Keeper

James Remar-Gabriel Singer

Directed by Robert Schwentke

A warehouse...it always ends in a warehouse.

Helen Mirren wielding a submachine gun while mowing down a group of Secret Service agents isn’t something that we see every day. Loosely based upon the DC Comics/Wildstorm limited series of the same name created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Cully Hamner, “Red” is a lot better film than it should be thanks to its all-star ensemble cast. While there’s certainly room for improvement, the fun of watching these respected thespians gleefully shooting up hordes of bad guys in style makes “Red” worth a look.

Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is a former CIA black ops agent who is now living a quiet, yet dull, life of retirement. He frequently rips up his pension checks as an excuse to ‘phone call-flirt’ with a customer service representative named Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker). While asleep one night, Frank wakes up to find a hit squad infiltrating his home and makes short work of them despite being armed with nothing but a handgun. He makes his way to Kansas City to protect Sarah knowing that his phone lines have been tapped. She reluctantly goes along after some resistance and Frank gathers up the rest of his old team, which includes Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman), Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), Ivan Simanov (Brian Cox) and Victoria (Helen Mirren), to find out who is trying to kill him. Meanwhile, he is being pursued by a young and ambitious CIA agent named William Cooper (Karl Urban).

You ever wonder what would happen if your favorite secret agents like James Bond or Jack Bauer were in their twilight years and forced to come out of retirement for one final mission? If “Red” is any indication, these people would still be whupping ass despite drinking Metamucil. 2010 saw the release of a number of ‘men-on-a-mission’ movies such as “The Losers” (also a comic book adaptation), “The A-Team,” and “The Expendables.” While “Red” still deals with the same tropes such as a black ops team forced to become fugitives and secret government conspiracies, what makes it a better film is the A-list cast that has been assembled or else this would’ve been a passably entertaining flick. There are a few glaring flaws with the pacing being on the slow side in the first hour as all the characters are introduced and then it rushes toward its climax in the second. The action isn’t particularly memorable nor is it realistic but there are some standouts including a big fist fight between Moses and Cooper at the CIA headquarters, Boggs shooting down an RPG with one bullet, and the novelty of seeing Mirren mow down bad guys using a large machine gun turret! Much of the comedy is derived from the eccentric and obsessively paranoid Boggs but nothing is really laugh-out-loud hilarious. With the exception of its cast, “Red” is just average yet also a fun, often time’s silly, action movie.

Bruce Willis isn’t a stranger to films of this type and he’s still engaging to watch as the soft-spoken yet deadly Frank Moses. The title is actually an acronym for “Retired, Extremely Dangerous.” Mary-Louise Parker is Sarah Ross, a customer service representative who handles Frank’s pension checks and flirts with him on the phone to get through her dull work routine. At first terrified, she eventually enjoys the adventure of it all but her screen-time gets reduced as more characters start popping up. John Malkovich is just crazy as he leaps out of the bushes in a guile suit while wielding a crossbow (does it shoot explosive bolts?!), carries a stuffed toy pig which happens to have a grenade launcher and pulling a gun on an innocent bank teller. His instincts prove correct when that same bank teller shows up again dressed like Rambo and insults him for being old. During an interrogation, he pulls out a series of torture devices and asks his friends to choose: ‘nuts, nipples, or potty trainer?’ Helen Mirren brings some extra class to the proceedings as a former MI6 agent turned contract killer with Brian Cox as her lover. Unfortunately, Morgan Freeman disappoints as his role is very limited and not as large as the initial trailers made it out to be. Karl Urban is playing the straight role as an up-and-comer CIA agent. The rest of the cast includes Richard Dreyfuss as Alexander Dunning, Julian McMahon as Vice President Robert Stanton and Rebecca Pidgeon as Cooper’s amoral handler Cynthia Wilkes.

The picture and audio quality for the Blu-Ray is excellent. Flesh tones lean toward an orange hue but the color is often vibrant and textures are detailed. From small ambient noises to loud assault rifle fire, “Red” engages the senses like no other. Despite bearing a ‘Special Edition’ on the box, the extras aren’t all that expansive but they include an audio commentary from former CIA agent Robert Baer who served as a consultant and an informative picture-in-picture which includes cast interviews and a behind-the-scenes look at how the film was made. The rest is just the usual deleted/extended scenes fluff.

“Red” was released on October 15, 2010 and received positive reviews with 70% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was also nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Picture—Musical or Comedy category but lost to “The Kids Are All Right.” Critics admitted it wasn’t ‘the killer thrill ride you'd expect from an action movie with a cast of this caliber, but Red still thoroughly outshines most of its big-budget counterparts with its wit and style.’ Going up against the idiotic “Jackass 3D,” the film came in at #2 at the box office and grossed $165 million worldwide against a $58 million production budget. “Red” never takes itself too seriously with its outlandish situations and while the action and comedy elements are average, the cast fully invest themselves in their roles, and their fun repartee makes the film a cut above average.

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5

"Frank, I never thought I'd say this again. I'm getting the PIG!"