Red

Well you’ve seen the cast list, and ain’t it grand! This surprisingly funny and well-executed film is worth seeing for the acting, even if you don’t care for this genre of high adrenalin, shoot-‘em up shenanigans.

The film is based on a graphic novel, which usually mean we don’t expect a great deal of depth, and yet these characters are all so endearing that it is a film one can engage with, even if you don’t necessarily know what’s going on a lot of the time. From the outset the film feels fresh and different, due mostly to the smart dialogue as Frank and Sarah chat, and we learn that both are romantics (Frank obviously of the closet variety) reading Love’s Savage Secret, a Mills & Boon style romance. But we also quickly learn as Frank takes out his attackers in spectacular style that although retired he is as formidable as ever. In fact he has been coded RED (Retired: Extremely Dangerous).

This classification seems to apply to all Frank’s cohorts, with the underlying message that they may be old (and there are plenty of deprecatory remarks made to these agents regarding this) but they can trounce the youngsters any day of the week. Malkovitch, a superb dramatic actor, is hilarious as the drug-addled eccentric Marvin, Freeman is as solid as ever, while it’s inspiring to see Helen Mirren toting a semi-automatic, looking great and busting balls. I didn’t used to like Willis, but he has grown on me and here exudes great charisma as Frank, who is tougher than old boots but is described by Victoria as all “gooey” on the inside. The chemistry between Willis and Parker is top-notch, with the witty lines they exchange flowing throughout the film.

There are some interesting supporting cast members. Ernest Borgnine, now 93 years old, plays the CIA library keeper and it’s a winning cameo. Brian Cox is Ivan the Russian with whom the agents team up, while Karl Urban is Cooper, a suave, young agent and chief antagonist to our hero. Even Richard Dreyfus turns up in a small role

The action set pieces are super-charged but seldom without their own humour. Unexpected things happen or are said, maintaining the film’s fresh feel. The cinematography is crisp and smart. Of course the ludicrous situation (so often the case in this genre) is that the baddies seldom shoot well enough to nail the goodies, and if and when the goodies do take a bullet they recover in remarkable time. But who cares when we take home the message that growing old doesn’t have to mean the end, good can triumph over evil and sometimes you need to have some well-deserved fun delivered by A-grade actors.

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