RED review

(Note: this review is based upon a mostly-but-not-quite complete version of the film, previewed in mid August.)

"Red", the new light-as-a-feather seasoned-citizens action-comedy, does rock your socks for isolated moments, but don't worry Sammy Hagar, you're not about to lose your title of "red rocker" to this film. (Even if you're no spring chicken yourself.) The title - an acronym for "retired extremely dangerous" - is a branding applied to the team of disavowed CIA agents whom this movie is about. The cast playing the team members- including Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich - is one of the most impressive to dirty their hands in a big budget Hollywood pot-boiler since Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ralph Fiennes, and Emily Watson had their own pass at the titular color in 2002's "Red Dragon". Coincidentally, "Red Dragon" alum Mary-Louise Parker leads the cast with top biller Bruce Willis, who is on a cross-country quest to find out why someone's trying very hard to kill him.
Breezy and seemingly effortless, the good-natured "Red" glides speedily from one major American city to the next, only stopping occasionally to pick up a new team member or set off some firearms. Competently directed by Robert Schwentke ("The Time Traveler's Wife", "Flightplan"), and based upon comic book material from acclaimed writer Warren Ellis and artist Cully Hamner that was published circa '03/'04 by DC Comics, "Red" never blatantly panders to the older audience it is so obviously baiting. It seems like every few years, there is one of these films that are all about demonstrating how older folks can still get it done just as well, if not better, than the younger set. (ala "Space Cowboys", among others. ) But any perceived ageism aside, this is a good time from start to finish, if not quite "the summer blockbuster we were lacking" this year, as a fellow critic of mine described it, just following the screening. (Thanks anyway, I'll stick with "Toy Story 3" and "Inception".)

The supporting cast is rounded out by a greasy Richard Dreyfuss as a wealthy bad guy, and the now ancient but always-welcome Ernest Borgnine as the not-so-mystical keeper of the super-ultra-mega secret files that are housed deep within CIA Headquarters in Langley. Like Tom Cruise before him in the chronically under-rated "Mission: Impossible", Bruce Willis must break into the impenetrable heart of this facility to get the info he needs. Unlike Cruise's stealthy high-wire acrobatic method, however, Willis goes about it in an entirely different way, nonchalantly punching the security devices out the walls and hijacking elevators until he gets to his old (and I do mean old) pal, Borgnine.

This latter-day last stand of the Red crew may not be "The Wild Bunch" (even with Borgnine in tow, not by a longshot), but it's got enough polished charm to get by. You've never seen anyone fire a heavy machine gun with more regality than Helen Mirren does in this film, playing a one-time government-employed killing machine. Freeman is effective in the kind of warm and genuine supporting role he does so well, and Malkovich is... well... he's the wacky heart of this movie in a bizarre way that only he could manage. These actors play their roles so naturally, you almost forget that they're probably only there for the paycheck. Willis carries the film (along with Parker, as "the girl") effectively from one city to the next until all the bad guys are dealt with, one way or another.

Many, many moons ago, Sammy Hagar sang "Red! I want red, there's no substitute for red." How the filmmakers missed using that tune in the trailer and/or closing credits I'll never know. But despite what my fellow critic feels (mentioned above), in terms of solid blockbusters, there are actually plenty of substitutes for "Red" at the multiplex this year. But in terms of breezy adventure with an impressive cast, this is the one you want. You may forget it by the time you get home, but you'll have a good time while you're seeing "Red".

- Jim Tudor