It’s been awhile since I’ve been to a movie–that’s what a fistful of jobs and grad school will do to you! One of those jobs is gone now (my doing, not forced!) and I have a little bit more time now. Saturday evening I went with my parents and sister to see RED. I hadn’t been extremely interested in it, though the previews looked like fun, but my dad really wanted to see it.
I was blown away!
It was hilarious from beginning to end, filled with exceptional action and effects, yet not overbalanced either way. All the headline actors were stunning in every respect. Bruce Willis can still fight, and Karl Urban can take a beating like a champ. Helen Mirren is a sophisticated Martha Stewart/assassin who fires the biggest gun of the entire movie (and that’s saying something!). John Malkovich absolutely steals the film with his endearingly paranoid, psychotic, completely lovable performance. He carries around a stuffed pink pig, and runs around trying to kill people, and Morgan Freeman is a touching, slightly dirty old man, and Brian Cox is a cooky Russian–Ernest Borgnine of all people even makes an appearance.
Bruce Willis is a retired CIA agent–one of the best they’ve ever had. He’s now being hunted by assassins in them middle of his Cleveland suburb. He begins to regroup with his old allies to root out the threat, which stems from the top of the government they all spent their lives serving. The CIA has decided to mess with the wrong people–they’re R.E.D.: Retired, Extremely Dangerous. That’s an understatement!
There’s not a lot of deep substance in the movie, but it’s absolute fun. It’s worth buying and watching again and again, as I predict the laughs won’t diminish.
Elementary, My Dear Reader 