Practically no realism, but what did you expect?

Rating: 5/10 (9 February 2014)

Robert Schwentke's adaptation of the graphic novel miniseries is not a movie that one can take seriously. "Red" makes no pretense about being a silly action flick. Bruce Willis is the star, but John Malkovich's conspiracy theorist is the best character. Helen Mirren is the most surprising cast member; someone who won an Oscar for playing Queen Elizabeth is not the type whom I would expect to co-star in a movie about a former black-ops CIA agent on the run.
The movie contains practically no realism: a hit squad machine-guns a house without waking up the neighborhood, and there's a car chase through a conveniently empty street. But let's face it: we shouldn't expect anything realistic in these flicks. This is one movie that knows exactly what kind of a flick it is. It's easy to enjoy if you accept it as something silly.
Also starring Mary-Louise Parker, Karl Urban (Éomer in the LOTR movies and Bones in the "Star Trek" reboot), Morgan Freeman, Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine. Therefore, "Red" is a combo of people who have worked with Jessica Tandy, Ian McKellen, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg and Frank Sinatra.