We really enjoyed Red when we saw it in the theater. It was fun and mayhem, partly predictable, as you would imagine. But who wouldn't want to see Helen Mirren, Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, and Mary-Louise Parker in a movie? then toss in Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine and others...
And the end of the Cold War means ex-enemies can now be friendly partners.
The storyline
Bruce Willis (Frank Moses) is living a dreary life as retired CIA hit man. His joy comes from tearing up his monthly check, then reporting it missing to his phone liaison Mary-Louise Parker (Sarah). He says he is coming into town -- and she feels it is a bad idea to meet.
But before he can get to her, he is targeted for assassination. Surely you know he has an escape route all planned out.
Meantime, he knows she will be targeted too, since he has been phoning her. It's up to him to keep her safe. And in scenes that could be very, very scary in RL, you can't help but laugh. He just has that attitude about him that makes him fun to watch.
Pretty soon they figure out a murdered news reporter has been working on a story that involved him and few other retirees, and they are nearly all dead. It's time to get the gang together to bust some chops.
And it is the CIA who has targeted them, or is it? Who is pulling the strings? And the CIA hit man has his orders.
The actors
John Malcovich is great in his part. He brings his own kind of strange to the character, which makes him fun to watch. He never takes it too far out, but you can sure laugh. He's had two movies out this year -- he is also the trainer in Secretariat.
Helen Mirren wielding a semi-automatic is fun in itself. She is reunited with her Russian cohort.
Karl Urban (William Cooper) is the CIA hit man after the retirees. He is only following orders and getting way too far over his head. He learns not to underestimate 'grandpa' (Willis.)
Morgan Freeman is believable in any part he plays. Don't you just love to watch him!
Ernest Borgnine -- it's about time they found him a few good parts. He plays the crypt keeper (records keeper.) And he knows who the good guys are! Surprisingly he does not become a target.
Mary-Louise Parker has such an expressive face -- and superb comic timing. I really enjoyed her in this part.
If you want a fun movie, with lots of laughter and a few believable bad things, you could do a lot worse than spending some time with these characters.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I can’t wait to see this movie! It looks hilarious, without being too gross/sex/eating/juvenile — as many of the newer movies are.
Yes, it was really fun, even the bad guys were somewhat campy. Our paper’s review kept mentioning the word ‘fun.’