Red

My expectations for RED were really high after a very satisfying trailer and unfortunately at the time, I didn't manage to check it out at the cinema. However, when it was released on DVD, I watched it and, quite frankly, I was pretty disappointed by it especially with its great trailer. Why? Well, I think the main reason is I couldn't fully understand why the five of them were being attacked in the first place. Also, you really would expect something badass out of this film with such a great cast and the fact it is about middle-age to elderly people coming out of retirement and are 'extremely dangerous' as suggested in the film, it just didn't work! Also, the fact that the trailer showed loads of action as well as dialogue and the film itself didn't show either of those all that much, it just failed.


Over the years, we have seen films that do have pretty awesome trailers but the film themselves became major disappointments (The International, Body Of Lies and Quantum Of Solace are examples) and they just have to include the best bits in the trailers, don't they? Just really gets on my nerves! I mean, there was action involved, yes, but none of it was crucial, gripping or even entertaining for that matter! I mean, the first 15 minutes were quite good but after then, (shockingly from when John Malkovich came into it (not because I don't like him)) the film really went downfall after that part. Another thing I really do not understand is how this is classed as a comedy because there is literally nothing funny about it at all so how this was nominated Best Picture Musical/Comedy at the Golden Globes instead of Kick-Ass, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and Four Lions, I will never know.


Frank (Willis) is retired, bored and lonely living off his government pension in a nondescript suburb in an equally nondescript house. The only joys in Frank’s life are his calls to the government pension processing centre when he gets to talk to his case worker Sarah (Parker). Sarah is as bored and lonely as Frank and marks her conversations with the unknown Frank and her spy novels as the only things fun in her life. When something in Frank's past forces Frank back into his old line of work and puts an unwitting Sarah in the middle of the intrigue, Frank and Sarah begin a journey into Franks past and the people he used to work with. Like Frank they are all RED ... Retired Extremely Dangerous.


RED certainly does have an absolutely fantastic cast. In fact, I think the cast selection is the best thing about the entire film. First off, Bruce Willis is in another action film? Now that makes a change doesn't it? (NOT!) We do see many actors who play a similar kind of character in almost every film he or she has ever done (Michael Cera and Jason Statham are examples), but unfortunately it really doesn't work with Bruce Willis especially in the action genre because, quite frankly, most action films like this aren't that much different. I am not saying that Bruce was awful in this film, he just didn't entirely satisfy like he has done in the past. John Malkovich is one fantastic actor and is perhaps one of the most underrated actors of all time and I would say he was the best actor in the film. I do normally like him in films like this (mostly black comedies) but he wasn't exactly amazing in this like I was expecting. Mary Louise-Parker was incredibly annoying in this film and I actually wish her character was killed off! Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren weren't in the film half as much as I was expecting like the trailer suggested so that is another reason why I was so disappointed by RED.


RED happened to be directed by the same person who made Flightplan and The Time Traveller's Wife so I guess expectations on direction were rather high too. This was perhaps the worst directed of the three major films that he has done and is the cheesiest in terms of screenplay, character development and everything! Pretty much all of the action scenes were quite boring shockingly and it almost felt the direction was clueless. Admittedly, the screenplay wasn't all bad seeing as there were a few good punch-lines involved that did make me chuckle on occasions. However, there were quite a few bad moments within the script.


Overall, RED is a major disappointment that is easily forgettable and cannot understand all the positive reception that it received. Admittedly, I wanted to like it but I really couldn't bring myself to because of all of the deep flaws it had. It may have a rather impressive cast but even that didn't save the film although it is the best quality that the film has. If you're looking for lots of action and badass characters, you simple will not get that from RED. What you will get, though, is a ridiculous story with quite a few plot holes, weak character development and quite weak direction. It's just not entertaining at all.