So… Turns out the Americans àre capable of bringing quite solid ‘comedy’ movies to the big screen (without making them about sex-driven teens or road trips with a story as flat as the tarmac it’s set on). These past few years we have been blessed with pictures like “The Hangover”, “Knight and Day”, “The A-team” (ok, maybe that was an accidental-comedy), the “OMG, it’s Sarah Palin!”-line from “Did you hear about the Morgans” and then some more which don’t come to mind now…

Red is the kind of movie you don’t watch when you’re expecting a spy-thriller. (Even though that would have been a fair expectation before they put Bruce Willis on the cast-list, no offence Bruce.) The movie has a story that’s not too very deep which, in this context, is kind of a good thing. Within the first 10 minutes we get our first show of excessive violence, without getting too Rambo. I notice an honest smile on my face. Good work. It sets the tone for the whole thing immediately, mocking violence-dripped movies and having deeply funny dialogues at the same time.

When I first browsed the cast I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I can assure you that performances in this movie are certainly nothing to complain about. With an extremely funny John Malkovich and a very convincing Helen Mirren at the top of my rating.

All ‘n all this movie brings you over 100 minutes of fun, without becoming a drag halfway through the movie. It actually hàs a plot, kind of… So there ìs a hint of suspense, but only a spoonful.

A retired CIA operative, hunted by his own people, reunites his old team for one last mission. It’s certainly not an original story, mashing together ideas that we’ve seen before in the Bourne series, The Expendibles and The Losers. ‘RED’ (which stands for ‘Retired, Extremely Dangerous’) is the 4th film this year to be adapted from a graphic novel. It is also the 4th to feature men going on a mission, and the 5th with a plot involving the CIA. I couldn’t help but feel skeptical. But then I noticed the cast list and realised that this is meant to be a comedy. At this point I saw the project in a different light. ‘RED’ is a film in which John McClane, God, Cyrus the Virus and The Queen join forces and kill people for laughs. Clearly this was going to be a film where story and sense came second to cast and chemistry.

From ‘Die Hard’ to ‘Sin City’, Bruce Willis’ good-guy-having-a-bad-day routine has evolved little, but it does not need to be fixed. His performance in ‘RED’ is familiar, but he is never less than entertaining. This time he brings with him an air of self-parody. Throughout the film he maintains a carefree poker-face, as though he’s done this so many times over the years that he can afford to be relaxed. There are valid attempts at making Willis seem more normal, and these can be quite amusing. The first 10 minutes, which show him adjusting to retirement and aimlessly wandering around the house in his dressing gown, are reminiscent of Carl Fredricksen’s first appearance as an old man in ‘Up’. Deeper characterisation, however, only serves to show how abnormal he really is, and it is a delight to see him in action.

With the exception of Willis, the cast is made up of actors who have no business waving guns around. Helen Mirren was an inspired choice, as if making up for the predictability of Willis’ casting. Flower-arranging OAP on the outside and bad-ass hit-woman on the inside, Mirren is strangely suited to action. There is something about the juxtaposition of her gran-like demeanour with exaggerated violence that makes her very funny and extremely watchable.

John Malkovich is particularly entertaining in his performance as a mentally questionable conspiracy theorist who refuses to retire peacefully. After the numerous roles he has played with an undercurrent of insanity, it is hilarious to see him go full-on howling mad. It is not often that Malkovich gets to flex his comedy muscles, but he steals every scene in which he appears.

Morgan Freeman is unfortunately the weakest part of this alternative A-Team, not because of his performance but because he is under-utilised. He has little action time and even less characterisation. There is a glimpse at pervy-old-man behaviour (which could have been funny) and a mention of health problems (which could have been touching) but these are quickly forgotten. It is as though the writers were distracted, trying too hard to develop a secondary storyline involving Willis’ romance with a pension office clerk. This subplot adds little and distracts from the main picture. It is a pity, because the wasted effort could have been more effectively put into making the story tighter, or on giving Morgan Freeman more screen time.

Overall, this is a good laugh, even if you won’t remember it afterwards. Taking things less seriously and trying less hard to be cool means that ‘RED’ is more fun than ‘The Expendibles’, and less embarrassing too. Stallone can mumble all he wants about “shooting real action” – I’d rather see the Queen fire machine guns.

When Bruce Willis plays his indestructible yet on the surface everyday guy he is right where the audience loves him. In RED, “Retired Extremely Dangerous”, he has a close to perfect vehicle. And, so RED delivers in spite of a fairly ridiculous scenario of a group of ex-CIA operatives,or which Willis is one, being singled out for execution on the eve of the vice-president announcing his candidacy for president.

We get the message from the first that Willis is somewhat lonely and bored with retirement and is searching for a companion to make his new life matter. He isn’t aching to get back to fast track, but is venerable and is fixated on a kind and cheery voice on the other end of the phone line when he complains about not getting his pension checks (he tears them up just to talk to his “handler”). He arranges a meeting with the sweet sounding gal just prior to everything falling apart because the CIA sends in a “wet” team to erase him. As suspected the CIA, as well as most all the resources of the government, are not up to the task.

Willis reassembles his old team, all in his age bracket or older, in order to survive. That team, if not on the surface a formidable threat, is pure cinematic gold as it consists of excellent performances by Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren. It is almost impossible not to like this film because of the wonderfully entertaining supporting cast. In fact Malkovich steals the show providing the correct dosage of crazed comic relief. This leads to impossible feats making for deliciously served up entertainment; all with a “nod-and-a-wink” that cuts through the unbelievable. Great action with comedy! Richard Dreyfus turns in a solid performance as a spoiled smart-ass (uber-wealthy and powerful) arms dealer who pulls strings behind the scenes. And, Ernest Borgnine has a cameo role which is memorable.

It’s a character driven action comedy that truly is RED (ridiculous, entertaining, delightful). This movie gets a 7.5 and, as such, is hard to fault in spite of being pure light-weight fluff. See it and smile.

Long tried to understand his feelings on the movie, I realized that “the patient is more alive,” if you remember the classics, of course. ”Red” – is the official klikuha former TsRUshnika, played by Willis, but he is sleduyuet on the subject, was one of the coolest and otvyaznyh special agent in the history department. If you believe this premise and off the brain, the film looks at the procedure easier. Film enjoyable, but most of it can hardly be said.Schwentke (very good at it – “Time Traveler’s Wife”) sought, apparently, do both, and funny and entertaining film that he is partly, of course, happened.

You understand that giving to put the comedy man who never done it – a task bold. Rights of others, other principles, style and speed of others. I understand that the basis of a German took something like whether the “Die Hard,” or to “Hudson Hawk.” The desire was to remove a kind of nostalgic film, which my grandfather did not try to play the young – on the contrary are like themselves (of old, that is), just under the new conditions (in the sense, as it behaved retired former spices).

In the film, a lot of allusions to a bunch of movies from Hollywood, there are stylized greeting cards (old bell on vacation), smart stamps here, which the author and laughs (they are very right atmosphere is created, which is not the place, and therefore funny), and in general well-known actors are removed (Willis, Malkovich, Freeman) – this would be expected. What should not be, so it’s fairly prolonged production sites, and the jokes are sometimes not quite out of place. After a while you begin to catch yourself thinking that looking for an excuse as to why you watch this film – good actors, expensive ticket – why are you laughing. And of course, always see a parody of something is not very interesting. It would be better then invented a strange weapon that kills all (though not, there is, with homing bombs – took a pot shot, a man blew up).

In general, if you make the film a lot of discounts, you can watch a movie: Willis still be removed with only one facial expression, the depth did not hesitate, Malkovich says a lot, and even in life is very similar to a maniac, so that nothing unusual will not be here. Probably just too many things irritate me here, so I was picking on. There are, however, view the film for those who Bruce Willis still see young – maybe I just missed the target audience.

The film, of course, cool, but how much of this already been done. The plot completely beaten. And Bruce Willis in his place, as always save someone. And the girl he has. And the CIA. Though retired. And the Russian mafia. Nothing new at all.
Do you like John Malkovich. I simply love it. It is always interesting and unusual. And here, too. And Helen Mirren is fine. There are women who are aging very nicely. Here it is one of them. Beautiful and very well-groomed woman. But she is already more than 60 years. Everyone would be so well preserved.
Morgan Freeman is also at altitude. No such film, where it had been bad.And it can be.
Only here for the sake of the actors and you can see this movie. Well, neighing bit.
In principle, all is not so bad. Sometimes even funny)