It's a setup we've seen before but rarely has it been done with this much style and flat out humor. Frank Moses(Willis) just can't get used to retirement. One of the best agents the CIA ever had, he's been forced into early retirement and now passes his time on the phone hitting on the bored, frustrated Sarah(the gorgeous Mary Louise Parker), handler of Frank's pension account. Frank's been in the seedy world of black ops and subterfuge that he wouldn't know how to flirt if his life depended on it. Sarah's just desperate enough to find it cute. Funny, a guy who killed people for a living is too scared to ask a woman out on a date. Eventually he works up the nerve, but before he even has a moment to celebrate, Frank's home is invaded by a black-garbed death squad that riddles his house with bullets.
Frank knows the score. His old bosses are out to get him, the question is why? He also knows that anybody close to him is a target, so his little date with Sarah gets pushed up a little bit. Oh, and their probably won't be much hand holding and "getting to know you's", not when you're on the run from the law and staring down a gun barrel every five minutes. They need help, and Frank calls upon his old(insert joke here) crew for back-up: grizzled vet Joe(Morgan Freeman), the elegant and deadly Victoria(Helen Mirren), and the insane Marvin(John Malkovich). Realizing they've all been designated as RED(Retired Extremely Dangerous) and marked for termination, the only recourse is to arm up and fight back.
Based on the limited, violent graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, Red jettisons the seriousness of the source material and replaces it with light hearted humor. The trick was finding a balance, and director Robert Schwentke(The Time Traveler's Wife
) walks the tightrope perfectly. Willis and company are clearly having a blast bouncing jokes off of one another, and there's something extremely sexy about Helen Mirren manning a gatling gun. There's something about her that's sexy regardless. Even though this was meant to be more of a wacky diversion, there are some serious stakes involved. The action, while effective and downright badass at times(check the sick finale of the first car chase) isn't constant. So when the bullets start flying and people we've come to love start getting hurt, it's all the more painful. Red isn't going to tax your brain. That's clearly not the point. While ostensibly about shadowy government organizations and kill squads, Red is about having a good time watching a bunch of unexpected faces blowing sh*t up. The violence is over-the-top, bordering on Shoot 'em Up levels at times, and the laughs never slow down for a second. Arguably the most fun flick of the Fall season, Red will make you think twice the next time your old neighbor tells you to get off his lawn. Better just do what he says, he might just be a RED.
