Red (2010)

After trading in his professional past as a black-ops CIA agent for a new identity, Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is basking in normalcy. But he's forced to return to old habits when a shadowy assassin puts a target on his back and goes after the woman (Mary-Louise Parker) he loves. Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich co-star as former members of Moses's team who reluctantly reassemble to save his life.

Cast:
Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Julian McMahon, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Dreyfuss, Brian Cox, Karl Urban, James Remar

RED has seriously heated up. Based on the three-issue comic series by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer, RED is about a retired black-ops CIA agent (Bruce Willis) who must fight for his life when younger, prettier, and more high-tech assassins attempt to take him out. Mirren plays a former associate of Willis with a lethal set of skills. Hit the jump to convince people this is a remake of the 1994 Krzysztof Kieslowski film, Trois Couleurs Rouge. This is a star-studded, fun film: One not to be missed!

Red is exactly what it wants to be, and exactly what it should be - a light-hearted but bloody, funny but still story-driven tale of ex-CIAers getting tagged for being taken out for reasons initially unknown. The main two characters here, and suppliers of a sub-plot that serves to spur on the interactions and story, are Bruce Willis as Frank Moses and Mary-Louise Parker as his love interest. Thankfully this story is kept cute and sensible, and isn't weighed down by a pointless epilogue or any drawn out moments. The focus is mostly on the big WHY of the story and how the characters are going to deal with it. Director Robert Schwentke stays true to the quick pace and violence of the comic but smartly ditches the heavy-handedness of Ellis writing for the more comedic tone. This is not at the sacrifice of action, however - the action scenes are directed beautifully, with some really interesting camera work and effective sound mixing. Red isn't the best thing ever, but it's a more mature Oceans 11 that doesn't try pretend to be more than the quick pleasure it is.


*****/*****

5/5 Stars!