Movie Review: RED

What else to do on a Friday night? Go catch a movie for once and get out of the house ^_^

There are few movies I'll end up going and buying a ticket, so it had better have some appeal -- some classy actors, good writing, things blowing up, some drama and suspense. Not knowing much about the graphic novel, there's far too many of them, but Retired, Extremely Dangerous caught my eye by posing the question, what to do after the thrill of a dangerous job? After the Sunset with Pierce Brosnan as a retired thief was first to come to mind, but this movie is more deadly-pan humour.

Based on the cult D.C. Comics graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer, RED plays on tongue in cheek humour of super agents who seem slightly ordinary once they turned in their badges. Director Vikram Bhatt, who did The Time Traveler's Wife, probably had no problem casting some great star power the moment they read the crazy script. Bhatt kept the action from slowing down by jumping from city to city on this wild goose chase to unmask classified skeletons from a political closet and using solid camera work.

After different charming toughs from Die Hard to The Whole Nine Yards, Bruce Willis plays a retired agent out of his element in RED. After the life of a highly trained CIA operative, he seems bored; reading books, staying in shape, looking up his old mentor, taking out the trash, talking to a pretty girl on the phone, going on a first date... and that's where it gets out of control.

Thrown into the fray, Mary-Louise Parker, who co-starred in Proof and now Weeds, doesn't let Willis steal the screen, showing spunk like Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies as Parker embraces her new life of adventure she'd only read about in romance novels. The real romance doesn't really sizzle between the two as convincingly, more like she'll make him muffins to take in his lunch.

Finding Morgan Freeman, who played action roles like in Lucky Number Sleven and Batman Begins, to be in a retirement home seems the last place for a former razor sharp agent. The theme of getting older is endearing balance of denial and amusement similar to Space Cowboys. Freeman plays a smooth old timer field agent and pulls some classy moments. So does John Malkovich, after another spy spoof movie Burn after Reading, as a paranoid spook of a conspiracy theorist. A plot with him involved is a sure sign that things will not go exactly as planned nor will he fail to charge screaming at someone. Malkovich delivers with magnesium explosive catalyst eccentrics which may crack a few ribs in side-splitting laughter.

However, the real charm of Helen Mirren, who played the Queen, now with a sniper rifle and Brian Cox, the villain in X-men 2, with a bottle of vodka and intrigue as these veteran spies give the plot thicker depth and eloquence. Karl Urban, who played Doc McCoy in Star Trek last year, holds his own against Willis, proving a tough advisory as both play dirty pool at times.

The big caliber bullet action is good with little time for cliché or dead space and the comedy gaffs are quite clever. Giving a nod to the Blues Brothers in getting the band back together for a reunion tour, the character developments and depth shows tender moments in old friendships and love amongst ricocheting remarks. Embellishing from the original work, the trend of graphic novels going to the big screen continues to get more awesome as it goes.

They don't make them like they used to nowadays yet even old school secret agents can get in over their heads. With some pokes at cold war defections and smoke & mirrors, RED is a fun lark of old agent vs new agent and worth the price of admission. Though it is near the end of its run, RED are due to come out February 8, 2011 on DVD and Blu-Ray. What I learned from this movie, walk quietly and carry a big pig but don't mess with a redhead's purse -- which is all I can say about my favourite scene from this adrenalin flick.

-- PLR --