Malkovich! Malkovich! Malkovich!

Rating: 9/10 (16 February 2011)

The plot of RED (not to be confused with Warren Beatty's epic "Reds") is not intended to be believable. The plot is only a vehicle for showcasing the talents of a group of truly excellent actors in a comedy. It is very very funny. A lot of really good lines and comic repartee. I am reminded of the exchange in "Crocodile Dundee" when a punk attempts to rob Crocodile with a switchblade, and Dundee says, "You call that a knife? This is a knife," while pulling his large Bowie knife from his boot.
Of the star-studded cast, some are reprising character types they've used before. Bruce Willis is the lovable bald tough guy. Mary-Louise Parker uses the same character traits she uses in Showtime's "Weeds" series. Morgan Freeman plays his cameo role as the same Morgan Freeman character we've become familiar with. I'm not saying they aren't good or that they are limited to those portrayals (Willis, for instance, plays a different character when he wears his hairpiece), just that the roles are no stretch for them.
There are a number of American actors, such as Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman, who are known for an uncanny ability to transform themselves into the character they are playing. Dame Helen Mirren also has a repertoire of diverse roles, from Britain's current Queen Elizabeth to Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison. I don't think she ever played a comic assassin before, but again, it didn't seem a stretch. Again, not a criticism -- she is delightful in the part.
Richard Dreyfuss is another actor who has a very diverse repertoire. (I don't understand why he was listed as far down in the credit order as he was, even though he has relatively little screen time.) In RED, he convincingly plays a mean and vicious villain.
But it is the very versatile John Malkovich who steals this show! He plays paranoid retired agent Marvin Boggs. Sarah Ross (Parker) says of Boggs, "Wow. This guy's insane." Frank Moses (Willis) replies, "Well, he thought he was the subject of a secret government mind control project. As it turns out, he really was being given daily doses of LSD for 11 years." Ross (Parker) then says, "Well in that case, he looks great. Yeah."
Malkovich perfectly portrays a character that fits that description. That's why I summarized my review as I did (taking it from that scene in the sci-fi film "Being John Malkovich" where Malkovich causes what scientists call a "singularity.")