Red

“Red” the action-comedy provides an adequate dose of each genre, and provides intriguing characters that are well-acted.

Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) used to be a top CIA agent, but age caught up with him and now he’s Red (Retired Extremely Dangerous). Adjusting to new life, he tries to start a relationship with Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) a customer service agent.

However, adjustment proves to be difficult, especially after a team of assassins try to kill him. Frank, knowing the killers would have tapped his phone and overheard all his conversations with Sarah, travels to rescue her from the assassins.

Frank and Sarah try to uncover the reasons for the attempted murders and in the process they revisit Frank’s old friends (and a few enemies) that include Joe (Morgan Freeman), Marvin (John Malkovich) and Victoria (Helen Mirren).

“Red” contains a large variety of characters, Frank, as described by Victoria, is hard on the outside but gooey in the middle. Joe is charming, deadly and more than willingly to help his friend. Marvin is paranoid and a little too trigger happy. Victoria is one of the most dangerous due to her expert eye. Sarah soon learns to be quick and adapt in all her adventures, and after a few initial scares starts to enjoy the spy life.

The unique characters proved to be played thoroughly by all the cast. The difference in personalities causes lots of funny and exciting aspects to the movie. The cast as a whole is a dream come true for action-lovers with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich. Even Helen Mirren (not commonly associated with action) acts like she knows how to handle a gun, and has for quite some time.

One of the best performances in “Red” is provided by Malkovich. His character’s quirky personality and often child-like behavior always receives a laugh from the audience. Whether he is saying some off-the-wall comment, or just dying to kill something, he provides the majority of the comedy.

“Red” moves at the right pace for an Action-comedy. It fails to dawdle around waiting for an explosion or gun shot. The comedy is well-placed and fails to detract from the action. In fact, the action and comedy complement each other in the perfect balance, which is provided by the well-written script (Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber).

The script also gives some clever escapes for the characters. It keeps the audience guessing at who is responsible for the attempted assassinations. Along with trying to guess who the real “bad guys” even are.

However, at times the events are a little too unrealistic, which distracts from the movie. For example, when the assassins come to Frank’s house, they shoot so many bullets into the house that the whole front of the house is gone. Action movies are all about bullets and explosions, but in “Red” it was a little much.

With that said, “Red” contains a lot of gunfire and explosions. At times it can be a too overwhelming, but that’s what action movies are for. Nearly every scene ends in either something getting blown up or shot, right up to the credits.

If one wants gunfire, explosions, captures and escapes, then “Red” is the movie to see. Along with the perfect ensemble for action that provides unique and humorous characters. “Red” is entertaining, fun, even though at times it is too unrealistic even for an action movie.