Rated
PG-13 (Pervasive Action and Violence including Frenetic Gunplay, and for Some Language
and Drug Material)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 56 Minutes
Cast-
Bruce
Willis-Frank Moses
John
Malkovich-Marvin Boggs
Mary-Louise
Parker-Sarah Ross
Helen
Mirren-Victoria
Byung-Hun
Lee-Han Cho Bai
Catherine
Zeta-Jones-Katja
Anthony
Hopkins-Edward Bailey
Brian
Cox-Ivan Simanov
Neal
McDonough-Jack Horton
David
Thewlis-The Frog
Tim
Pigott-Smith-Director Philips
Directed
by Dean Parisot
 |
| "I don't understand, my porn magazines are supposed to be in this briefcase!" |
Note: Screened on Friday, June 21, 2013 at AMC Empire 25.
Growing
old can be tough for some people, unless you're a former black-ops CIA agent.
Loosely based on Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner's 2003 limited series of the same
name published by DC Comics\Wildstorm under
the imprint Homage, director Robert Schwentke's "Red" went on to become
a surprise sleeper hit when it was released back in 2010. With largely positive
reviews (72% on Rotten Tomatoes), a nearly $200 million worldwide gross, and
even a Best Picture nomination at the Golden Globes, the announcement of a sequel
didn't really come as a shock to anyone. In fact, Summit Entertainment is so
confident about the success of "Red 2" that they've already green-lit
a third installment, something that is becoming increasingly common in Hollywood.
Warner Brothers must be pretty miffed for repeatedly passing on the project and
what's ironic is that Summit actually wanted to bring the studio in as a partner
to mitigate the financial risk but they just weren't interested. "Red 2"
arrives on one of the busiest weekends of the summer, with three other releases
vying for box office dominance. With another comic book film (Marvel's
"The Wolverine") arriving a week later, it could put a damper on Summit's
prospects for a new ongoing franchise to replace "Twilight" but the
studio is sticking to their guns. Although it lacks the novelty and freshness
of the original, "Red 2" remains an enjoyable summer romp thanks to
the easy rapport of its all-star cast.
Finally
free to indulge his domestic instincts, retired black-ops CIA agent Frank Moses
(Bruce Willis) settles down to lead a normal life with former GSA customer
service agent Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker) but is pulled back into the field
when paranoid conspiracy theorist Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich) unexpectedly
shows up with dire warnings of a plot to take them out. Although Frank is initially
dismissive of his friend's wild claims, he quickly changes his tune when Marvin
is seemingly killed by a car bomb. After attending Marvin's funeral, Frank is dragged
in for questioning by Pentagon official Jack Horton (Neal McDonough), who demands
him to reveal what he knows about a Cold War nuclear device dubbed 'Nightshade.'
Marvin shows up to rescue Frank at the last minute, having faked his own death
to no one's surprise. With Sarah once again tagging along, the two former CIA spooks
embark on a globe-trotting adventure to find the nuclear device and its brilliant
creator, Dr. Edward Bailey (Anthony Hopkins). Meanwhile, the Pentagon, MI6, and
the Kremlin dispatch their own agents after them in order to locate the coveted device: ruthless
contract killer Han Cho Bai (Byung-Hun Lee), former assassin Victoria (Helen
Mirren), and Frank's former flame Katja (Catherine Zeta-Jones).
Some
films don't aspire to be anything more than fun, breezy entertainment and
"Red 2" definitely fits that bill as the script from returning
writers Jon and Erich Hoeber retain its predecessor's lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek
tone. The narrative is on the simplistic side and amounts to being an international
road trip but the busy storytelling lends the picture a cluttered, overstuffed feel.
There are twists galore yet they're largely dumped onto the audience without much
fanfare, with many characters often changing allegiances at the drop of a hat. Obviously,
none of it is really meant to be taken seriously. When one character is busy gabbing
away on the telephone while absent-mindedly dissolving a corpse in acid like it's
their laundry, how could you?
Like
the original film, it's the characters that elevate "Red 2" from being
another ho-hum action comedy. When we reunite with Frank Moses, he's happily
shopping in Costco with the love of his life, Sarah Ross. However, their domestic
bliss is an illusion as Sarah misses the dangerous excitement that brought them
together in the first place. She greets Marvin Boggs' warnings with wide-eyed
enthusiasm but Frank is adamant about leading a quieter life. Of course, he's
soon forced to come out of retirement (again!) after learning that he's on
Interpol's hit list and one of the more amusing subplots is Frank's obsession
with protecting Sarah even as she tries to ingratiate herself into the spy
lifestyle. You see, Sarah has an itch for guns but shies away from the more unsavory
aspects of Frank's skill set—like torture. There's a funny scene where Frank, Marvin,
and Katja are about to torture an assassin with a penchant for fine wine called
'the Frog' (David Thewlis) but Sarah can't bear to watch and tells them to stop.
She instead nicely asks the Frog to reveal what he knows before just full-blown
making out with him. In fact, this becomes a running gag whenever Sarah is put
into a stressful situation. The tension that she shares with the aforementioned
Katja also provides a number of laughs. During a car chase with the Frog on the
streets of Paris, the two women actually compete with each other to see who can
get to him first! In keeping with the film's loose tone, director Dean Parisot
(replacing Robert Schwentke) uses stylized graphic-novel illustrations (colored
in red and black) when transitioning from one locale to the next. It reinforces
"Red 2" as one giant cartoon that just happens to star a couple of Academy
Award winners.
Speaking
of those Academy Award winners, the big name cast continues to be the main draw
for this burgeoning comic book franchise. Although he's a little too reliant on
his trademark smirk, Bruce Willis is still fun to watch as the increasingly grouchy
ex-CIA agent who can't quite keep up with his younger girlfriend. Continuing to
steal the film is John Malkovich as the highly eccentric Marvin Boggs. You'd
never expect a guy like him to give relationship advice to his best friend! Mary-Louise
Parker enjoys an expanded role this time around, where she earns some of the
film's best laughs thanks to her character's bumbling demeanor. A large part of
why "Red" became such a hit was the novelty of seeing accomplished
thespians like Helen Mirren running across the screen with machine
guns-blazing. While that novelty has slightly worn off, seeing Mirren blasting
away bad guys with such deadpan seriousness will never go out of style. Joining
this already amazing cast is Catherine Zeta-Jones, who's clearly enjoying
herself as the sultry femme fatale while South Korean actor Byung-Hun Lee
(Storm Shadow!) continues to show off his action chops, squaring off against
Willis in one of the film's more notable fight scenes. Also having fun stepping
outside the box is Anthony Hopkins as the perennially distracted scientist Edward
Bailey.
To
be released on July 19, 2013, the initial buzz for "Red 2" hasn't
been all that positive and I have a feeling it might land in the 40% range on Rotten
Tomatoes. Given how crowded the summer market is right now, the film will likely
struggle to find an audience at the box office, which would put the third installment's
future in jeopardy. Ironically, it's competing against Robert Schwentke's
"R.I.P.D.," another comic book adaptation that also happens to star Mary-Louise
Parker. The story is paper-thin and a bit of a mess but "Red 2"
manages to fulfill its sequel duties as goofy summer escapism. I sure hope my
life is this exciting when I'm retired!
Final
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
"What
happens in the Kremlin stays in the Kremlin."
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