Nothing to blush over

Rating: 5/10 (26 November 2010)

Sometimes, the mere novelty of an idea can see a movie through the entirety of its run time (for a recent example of this, see the action-star-has-been extravaganza "The Expendables"); and sometimes, the novelty falls apart well before the movie is over. For its initial hour, "Red" engenders optimism about where it will ultimately wind up: retired CIA operatives played by Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren find themselves targeted by assassins for unknown reasons. During this introductory period, we are treated to some stunning action setpieces, some amusing (if not always hilarious) character development, and some name actors doing what they do best (Willis, especially, seems to be having a blast playing a parody of the summer action hero he helped create). Director Robert Schwentke stages the action and cross-country story with a kinetic fluidity; it's a shame, then, that the film (adapted from a DC comic, believe it or not) eventually succumbs to the demands of a plot that, by the time it rolls around, feels half-baked an disposable.