Red Review
Monday, November 8. 2010
DC live action movies have had been a mixed bag over the last few years. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight were considered truly excellent movies, Superman Returns was decent but flawed, Watchmen was great until it went off the rails in the last half hour, and Catwoman and Jonah Hex were outright awful. Of their imprint titles, Constantine and The Losers received mixed reviews and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and The Spirit were generally panned, while V for Vendetta, A History of Violence, and Road to Perdition were well made and well received (including six academy award nominations for the latter). So Red had a chance of going either way, and fortunately it would up near the upper end of the spectrum.
One of the biggest things working in Red's favor is its cast. Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren are well-know and respected actors for a good reason. They work well together, and supporting roles by Brian Cox (Rushmore, X-Men 2), Karl Urban (Lord of the Rings, Star Trek), and Mary-Louise Parker (Fried Green Tomatoes, Saved!, & TV's Weeds) further reinforce a nearly bulletproof cast. The real standout here is Malkovich: the lunatic persona of Marvin Boggs is awesome enough, but more subtle work such as his expression as he acknowledges and leaves behind a wounded Victoria (Mirren) are what make the character great. Other notable performances include Parker's role of the unexpected (but not unwilling) tagalong, and Urban's ability to portray an agent who is loyal to his job but not an idiot.
The story itself is surprisingly well done. Jon and Erich Hoeber managed to create a tale that makes sense and feels solid despite the outrageous situations the charaters find themselves in. The dialogue is clear without being dumb or unnatural, and the comedy is handled perfectly. The directing is handled well, with a few "comic book" moments thrown in, but not so many that it pulls you out of the movie. It's a dangerous line to walk - one I felt The Losers overstepped - but Red manages to pull it off.
Overall, this was a very well done movie. It has everything that you could ask for in an action movie (fights, explosions, evil villains, international intrigue) as well as some good doses of comedy, pulled together with a solid cast and good production.
Collector/Modeler Interest:
Not much car action here, but Cadillac Presidential Limousines similar to what were featured in the final act are available in 1/24 scale by Road Signature.
One of the biggest things working in Red's favor is its cast. Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren are well-know and respected actors for a good reason. They work well together, and supporting roles by Brian Cox (Rushmore, X-Men 2), Karl Urban (Lord of the Rings, Star Trek), and Mary-Louise Parker (Fried Green Tomatoes, Saved!, & TV's Weeds) further reinforce a nearly bulletproof cast. The real standout here is Malkovich: the lunatic persona of Marvin Boggs is awesome enough, but more subtle work such as his expression as he acknowledges and leaves behind a wounded Victoria (Mirren) are what make the character great. Other notable performances include Parker's role of the unexpected (but not unwilling) tagalong, and Urban's ability to portray an agent who is loyal to his job but not an idiot.
The story itself is surprisingly well done. Jon and Erich Hoeber managed to create a tale that makes sense and feels solid despite the outrageous situations the charaters find themselves in. The dialogue is clear without being dumb or unnatural, and the comedy is handled perfectly. The directing is handled well, with a few "comic book" moments thrown in, but not so many that it pulls you out of the movie. It's a dangerous line to walk - one I felt The Losers overstepped - but Red manages to pull it off.
Overall, this was a very well done movie. It has everything that you could ask for in an action movie (fights, explosions, evil villains, international intrigue) as well as some good doses of comedy, pulled together with a solid cast and good production.
Collector/Modeler Interest:
Not much car action here, but Cadillac Presidential Limousines similar to what were featured in the final act are available in 1/24 scale by Road Signature.
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