Red

Rating: 4/10 (6 March 2011)

I saw the trailer for this film at the cinema and thought it looked cool and funny, and obviously the cast was a big hook, so I was looking forward to trying it, from director Robert Schwentke (Flightplan). Basically Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is retired, bored and alone, and the only entertainment he gets is when he phones government pension processing centre, when he gets to talk to his case worker Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker), who is just as bored and lonely as him, with her entertainment being talking to him and reading spy novels. Then one day Frank is attacked from his home due to the fact that his phone calls have been tapped, and he knows that it is likely that the people responsible for destroying his house will want Sarah. So he goes to find her, taking her almost against her will, but he warns her she is indeed in danger, and together they go find his old accomplices to find out what is going on, starting with some help from the Russians. After getting into the CIA HQ and his seeing his old file, he finds out he has been labelled R.E.D. - Retired and Extremely Dangerous, so now he is determined to find his comrades who are seemingly in the same predicament. His three associates are overly paranoid marksman Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich), cancer suffering Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman) and female gun expert Victoria (Dame Helen Mirren), and they all join him to go against the security forces. The main threat seems to be "agent" William Cooper (Karl Urban), and they do suffer the sacrifice of Joe, to be joined by Ivan Simanov (Brian Cox), but their main target is VP Robert Stanton (Fantastic Four's Julian McMahon). Things get complicated when Sarah is taken by the opposite side for interrogation, but in the end Frank, Marvin, Victoria and Ivan save the day and finish the job, Ivan and Victoria express their feelings, as do Frank and Sarah. Also starring Richard Dreyfuss as Alexander Dunning, Ernest Borgnine as Henry The Records Keeper and James Remar as Gabriel Singer. If your up for seeing Willis is yet another action movie, next to faces like Malkovich, Freeman, Cox and even fine British actress Mirren with guns blazing, filled with just about enough gun play and explosions, and a few alright giggles, then you won't be too disappointed with this action comedy. It was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Okay!