Entertaining, Styled Almost as a Parody

Rating: 7/10 (27 April 2014)

Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is a retired agent who is stuck in a rut – his only joy in life is his phone calls to his pension case worker Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker), who is as bored with life as he is. When Frank is pulled back into his old line of work, he finds himself responsible for Sarah whilst trying to survive.
This film is surprisingly light-hearted entertainment and full of likable characters. Bruce Willis plays his trademark cool, collected role, holding his own during gun fights and car chases, a believable veteran of the genre. Mary-Louise Parker brings a bubbly and inquisitive character that clashes wonderfully with Willis' role which provides an unexpected sweet element to the film. John Malkovich delivers a highly entertaining performance as Willis' partner in crime, offering plenty of laughs throughout the film. There are some great minor roles from Hollywood royalty such as Dame Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, and Brian Cox. The film is all about contrasts, and that doesn't just stop at the characters: there is a fair bit of action, offset by humorous dialogue-heavy scenes. The styling of it is almost like a parody of itself: it doesn't try too hard to be one thing or another, it just throws a lot of things into the mix and goes with it.
RED is entertaining and surprisingly comedic, with some great characters portrayed by a good cast. Take it all in with an open mind; it does have a touch of the parody about it, but it cuts it back just enough to be an enjoyable action-fuelled offering.