Gets the comic tone just right to make it an enjoyable action movie with its tongue in its cheek

Rating: Null/10 (18 November 2010)

I first heard about this film when Bruce Willis appeared on the Daily Show. The clip they used was the one where Willis steps out of the spinning police car and is narrowly missed by it as he calmly opens fire on his assailant. On the face of it the clip looked ridiculously overblown and the special effects used weren't great either and it didn't look real (which didn't help with it looking daft either). On the strength of this I wasn't fussed about seeing another film where obvious special effects make the impossible appear possible while the audience are left with nothing but spectacle. Despite this I wound up seeing it this weekend and have to admit that the clip does work in context even if it doesn't as a standalone.
The difference is that the film gets the tone just right and makes it easy to enjoy by having its tongue in its cheek for most of the time. This is essential in a film where we are expected to believe that retired agents over 50 years old can still beat all challengers and pull off ridiculous feats such as shooting a missile in mid-flight with a pinpoint shot. I'm sure some will not get this humour and therefore the film will not work but for me I found myself quickly charmed by the good-humoured nature of it and I found it very easy to enjoy as it delivered solid action with a knowing wink. Plot-wise it is just as silly but again this is carried along by the fact that it is enjoyable and quite fun.
The script is a big part of it and it hands the cast some nice banter which is a big part of the film being fun. They respond to it well, even if more could have been made of the age thing. Willis is a necessary evil but one that works. His wise-cracking personae and his ability to wryly undermine himself while also doing action means that he is perfect for this sort of film but the downside is that part of the "concept" is that the main characters are old and retired. Yes, Willis is old but at the same time we are used to seeing him be old and invincible in other films (where we are asked not to see this as an issue) so it is perhaps a jump to expect him to fit in as "old" here. He does work well with Parker though, who herself is good value as she "gets" what the film is doing. Malkovich is enjoyably manic while Mirren, Freeman and Borgnine are solid. I liked Urban's supporting turn.
Overall Red is not a brilliant film, it is not something people will rave about for years to come. However what it does do it easily entertain. The action is solid but the comic tone is key and it gets this just right – never being dumb but never taking itself too seriously either. It is what it is and it is well done for the genre – a good Saturday night movie.