Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Red (2010)

This is topic Red (2010) in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 10-18-2010, 10:09 AM:

Red (Uptown Theatre, 35mm, Dolby Digital):
It was fun to a point, but ultimately it had a lot of problems, the pacing was way off at times, Mary Louis Parker was grating, there wasn't enough Helen Mirren scenes and the story slight. Some of the action scenes were also shoddy. Seeing at the Uptown though is always a blast, the image when sitting on the center first floor seats is really in your face and the sound aptly bombastic. The print for a second day was perfect sans two moments where the prints 'were' pink tinged - ahhh 35mm, how I love thee... [Wink]

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 10-22-2010, 12:22 PM:

If you can turn your brain down to low and suspend your disbelief and just watch the fun for fun's sake, and you enjoy watching things blow up, then you'll enjoy this movie.

Posted by Robert John Jeromson (Member # 2559) on 10-30-2010, 05:38 AM:

Liked it [thumbsup]

Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 10-30-2010, 09:49 PM:

The plot to RED (that's "Retired Extremely Dangerous" for those of you not savvy with faux CIA lingo) is almost entirely inconsequential; something about the Vice President slaughtering some villagers in Guatemala and then assassinating all those involved in the clean-up for the sake of his own political expedience. Whatever. The point is that Bruce Willis is back doing what he did best - kicking ass. As the smallest (in stature terms) of Hollywood's macho gang of three, Willis was the one we ordinary folk could relate to the most. In a world encompassing Conan, Rambo and McLane, the latter is the one we could most easily (sic) aspire to. His return to the action genre is most welcome and puts this film head to head with Sly's earlier The Expendables with which it has much in common, if not in body count'n'guts then in its premise of a bunch of wrinkly killers back in the biz.

The mood is kept light and frivolous with a tongue-infused cheek though thankfully this puts the film more in line with The Long Kiss Goodnight than Willis' own lacklustre Hudson Hawk. The film openly invites the audience to not take any of the proceedings seriously, to just have fun with it, and it mostly succeeds in this charge. It is overall stronger than director Robert Schwenke's previous film, the rather inconsistent The Time Traveller's Wife though it does over-reach just a tad in its final moments.

Backed by a high calibre cast including Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban and Julian McMahon, the film would work better if the stars in the support roles (namely Mirren, Malkovich, Freeman, Dreyfuss and Cox) cameoed their appearances. Naturally, the studio's compelling need to sell its star power quashes such an opportunity to knowingly wink at the audience.

The stand-out performance, however, comes from Mary-Louise Parker who plays her hopeless romantic with a penchant for pulp espionage fiction beautifully. Her comic timing is also spot on and her subtle facial tics betray just as much about her character as her dialogue. It's also great to see a youthful 93yo Ernest Borgnine back on the silver screen - another lost opportunity for an uncredited cameo.

Ridiculous? Yes. Unfeasible? Yes. Full of holes? Yes (and not just bullet ones). Fun? Definitely!

7.5 out of 10.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 11-01-2010, 10:58 AM:

Sunday 10/31 at Regal 15 in Eugene, #1 35mm. Good presentation, no complaints. [thumbsup]

Confirmed: The Regal roller coaster policy is back but since they play it through the preshow system now it's kind of lacking impact compared to how it used to be in 35mm.

I liked the movie, quite a lot actually. The plot is incidental to the onscreen fun. Helen Mirren firing automatic weapons and looking like she means it? I approve. [thumbsup]