Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Movie Review: RED

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 03: Actors John Malkovich and Helen Mirren attend The Cinema Society & OC Concept screening of 'RED' at The Museum of Modern Art on October 3, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Like the Ocean's 11 films, RED (which stands for 'Retired Extremely Dangerous') gives a bunch of veteran actors a chance to goof off, be silly, and throw a party for themselves on screen. Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and most notably John Malkovich, are the cool kids in question, and like the Ocean's 11 films, it's an absolute pleasure simply to watch. The only downside is that the story is completely forgettable.

When a retired agent (Willis) suffering from the routine of normal life dodges a mysterious hit on his life, he goes on the hunt to clear his name and find out who is after him. He does this while also beginning a relationship with a customer service representative (Mary-Louise Parker) who is eager for adventure. They team up with other agents (Freeman and Mirren) to bring down the bad guys while proving old dogs can indeed learn new tricks.

While completely entertaining, this film lacks an interesting enough mystery to make it a great movie. Where the story is TV-movie-of-the-week quality, the acting is well worth the price of admission. Just seeing the likes of Helen Mirren firing a machine gun at corrupt politicians and Morgan Freeman getting into a hokey disguise is downright hilarious. I would give RED a 6.5 out of 10.

Family Take: This movie will entertain those aged 13 and up. There is some profanity, mild sexual content, and a lot of non-graphic violence.

If You Like RED Try: If watching senior citizens kick butt is your thing, you need to watch the old Disney movie The North Avenue Irregulars. It's funnier and better put together than RED, and it's made for the whole family (it's rated G).

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