Red 2 Review

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."