Ripping Good Entertainment!

Rating: 8/10 (26 January 2011)

RED (aka Retired Extremely Dangerous) is the moniker assigned to four retired CIA operatives, and if ever there were a film that demonstrates that folks beyond retirement age are still impressively functional, this is it. The story is adapted from the graphic novel by Cully Hamner and Warren Ellis by screenwriters Jon and Erich Hoeber and directed with great style by Robert Schwentke. But has been said often, it is the brilliant cast of experienced actors that makes this film one to treasure as simply splendid entertainment.
Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is bored in his retirement; his only point of interest is a recurrent telephone conversation regarding his pension check with an equally bored government worker Sarah Ross (Mary-Louis Parker in a role that finally gives the range of her comedic talent its due!). Their conversations are overheard by the CIA - William Cooper (Karl Urban) and his boss Cynthia Wilkes (Rebecca Pidgeon) - and Frank is marked for assassination. Bu told frank is wily and outsmarts and out shoots his intruders, escapes to take Sarah away from her boring desk job and a caper begins. It seems there is a plot to uncover the USA Vice President's involvement in a Guatemala coups and Frank seeks out his old confreres - Joe (Morgan Freeman, living in a nursing home but very alert and involved with CIA thinking patterns), Marvin (John Malkovich, a half crazy near delusional but very fine marksman living in an underground hideaway), and Victoria (Helen Mirren, living the elegant life of teas and social activities while privately still taking contract jobs to knock off bad people). At first Sarah is perplexed by the 'abduction' on the part of Frank, but soon becomes an involved participant in the drive to expose the secret of the Vice President. The group engages a retired Russian spy (Brian Cox) who just happens to be Victoria's old boyfriend, and together these REDs use their skills, and brains, and great humor to achieve their goal. It is the old REDs against the young CIA agents that provides the tug of war that makes the film soar.
The cast sparkles in this richly colorful movie brimming over with CGI effects and impossible situations. This is not a deep film but a movie that will entertain form the first frame to the final rather surprising episode. It is a pleasure to simply watch the talents of Willis/Mirren/Freeman/Malkovich/Parker/Cox interact like so many pieces of a fine Swiss watch: they obviously love what they are asked to do!
Grady Harp