A bit of a letdown but still entertaining......

Rating: 6/10 (26 October 2010)

When I saw the trailer for this, I actually thought this was quite an interesting idea. I mean, how many movies will you see old actors shooting and kicking ass? And since when was the last time you saw Helen Mirren looking elegant and deadly in one movie? This movie doesn't take itself too seriously, which is why it can be enjoyed as a light comedy. The story is simply - ex CIA agents are being targeted by the CIA in place now, and an old bunch of retirees now have to come out of retirement to work together to take down the bad guys.
It's a pretty simple plot and is just an excuse to have action scenes showing the ability of the old to kick ass - but it is enjoyable. I did think some of the scenes almost felt a bit cartoonish, and this is what I picked up on. If it is trying to be a satirical comedy, it excels on some levels and fails in others.
The love interest of Sarah (Louise Marie Parker) and Bruce Willis character I felt was really boring and her character was a bit unbelievable. I mean, she is this really ordinary person in the beginning then gets thrown into this world of crime, guns and explosions and is suddenly all for it like that. Her character was almost an annoyance, and was simply there as an added subplot.
I thought John Malkovich was pretty good as his character who is the ultimate paranoid retiree thinking everything is out to get him (and has reason to). But what was the joy for me was seeing Helen Mirren with a gun - she would have been one of the last actresses I would have thought would star in action films, but here she proves a delight and charm in her own right. Talk about elegance and deadliness all in one.
It is entertaining and maybe I was expecting a little more, so I am disappointed. This is a no brainer essentially, but it is good to see a film celebrating its older actors in a film that is usually associated with young punks killing each other and running away from the cops.