By: debbie lynn elias
Like a fine wine, some things just keep getting better with age, and as we have certainly seen this year, action heroes are no exception. Thanks to Sly Stallone and “The Expendables” and now this week’s hottest release, RED (Retired: Extremely Dangerous), not only has the action genre been reinvigorated, but there has been a renaissance of veteran superstars many may consider “past their fighting prime”, including none other than Helen Mirren, all of whom are taking names and kicking ass. And when I say kicking ass, I mean K-I-C-K-I-N-G A-S-S!
Based on the cult three issue comic book mini-series of DC comics by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer, RED explodes in a no holds barred, take no prisoners, live action, all out offensive that finds former black-ops CIA agents, Frank Moses, Joe Matheson, Marvin Boggs and the oh-so-sexy at 60 Victoria, reteaming as they try to stay alive while investigating why each is being targeted for murder. All top agents, their collective secrets have now apparently made them each top targets in the prime of their retirement. Like old soldiers who never die, so are former black-ops espionage agents, and each is just itching to get back into the game.
Frank Moses is your average, mild-mannered retiree. Single and alone after what was probably some desk jockey job for the government, given the decor in his nice suburban home, his life appears to have been one of precision, calm and quiet. In fact, Frank appears so lonely, that he tears up his retirement checks just so he can keep calling the government benefits office to speak with Kansas City government pension services operator Sarah Ross, with whom he has established quite a long distance relationship. Why Frank has even taken to reading romance novels just so he can converse with Sarah! And for Frank, Sarah is his fantasy romance novel.
But late one wintery Christmas-time night, all is far from calm when Frank hears a noise in his house. Next thing you know, Frank is diving for a hidden cache of guns and passports as black garbed special ops guys blow Franks’ house to smithereens in a blaze of gunfire and explosions.
Paranoid or suspicious or just on a hunch or an active mind from too many romance novels, Frank recognizes the pattern of attack and realizes that if an entire tactical force is after him, it stands to reason they will be after everyone else he knows, including Sarah. So, what’s a guy to do but be that white knight on a steed rushing to save his lady love. And with no home to call his own, he heads to Kansas City and “kidnaps” Sarah, hitting the road in search of other friends and former colleagues.
Calling on his old friend Joe Matheson for help, we learn that Joe, a former co-worker of Frank’s, has liver cancer and is relegated to living in an old age home, apparently not something too appealing to him. But as Frank and Joe start talking, it becomes very clear that neither one is who he now appears to be. These guys saw action. These guys have secrets. These guys were invincible. These guys toppled governments. And now, these guys are targets. And if someone is after them, then they are also after their old partner Martin Boggs, as well as the beautiful and lethal, Victoria. And it’s up to Frank and Joe to get to them before the bad guys do.
Heading off across the country with Sarah (now a more than willing accomplice to whatever espionage and adventure lies ahead), to round up the rest of his cronies, including Martin (slightly loopy and paranoid from daily doses of LSD and electric shocks) and MI6 agent Victoria, Frank even calls in a favor from his former Russian nemesis, Ivan.
Meanwhile, at CIA headquarters in Langley, turmoil has set in because Frank Moses “has escaped.” Escaped from what? And why is there a hit out on him? Playing puppet for the agency is their ace company man, William Cooper, whose strings are being pulled by not only his supervisor, but by unseen forces. With his every move being precisely manipulated, Cooper is directed to the classified files on RED where he is led to believe that the assassination of a journalist about to break a story on the Vice-President was actually executed by Frank, Joe, Martin and Victoria, and that because of what they know, they must be eliminated.
Bruce Willis has never been better and as Frank Moses he brings out that “die hard” spirit that we all know and love. There’s no doubt that Willis is, was and always will be the best wise-cracking action guy out there as he fills the role of Frank like slipping on a favorite pair of well worn shoes. There is an easy familiarity that beckons you. A great physical specimen still, Willis melds action and smart ass comedy like ammo into a well oiled gun. And talk about chemistry with co-stars! His repartee with each is easy, indelible, believable and fun, particularly with Mary Louise Parker’s Sarah. Move over Maddie Hayes!
And speaking of Parker, I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed her this much. She is a welcome addition to the genre and the fun and frolic here. She brings an initial wide-eyed innocence to Sarah which quickly becomes youthful exuberance that matches the lifelong exuberance of her co-stars’ characters. And with every action, Parker’s facial expressions are captivating and telling.
What do you say about Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich that hasn’t been said before? Both are perfect as Joe and Martin, respectively. Freeman brings this great sense of austerity and class to the group while Malkovich…I haven’t seen him this liberated and freewheeling in years. He is like a kid in a candy store and just borders on being a complete laughable nut job! And then you have Helen Mirren who has a rowdy, bawdy side to her that she just lets loose with as Victoria. A role written specifically with Mirren in mind, you haven’t seen action until you see Dame Helen Mirren in a floor length gown wearing combat boots and wielding AK-47’s, lugers and shoulder launchers, plowing down the bad guys.
Never to be overlooked are Brian Cox who is wonderful as Ivan (and who also just happens to be Victoria’s former lover – Gasp! Enemy fraternization!), and Julian McMahon as we’ve never seen him. So accustomed to McMahon as the polished Dr. Christian Troy or slick “Charmed” demon that as wimpy, simpy Vice-President Stanton, he is masterful. And what about Karl Urban who holds his own as Agent Cooper against his veteran predecessors. Particularly effective are his scenes with Willis. Richard Dreyfuss also joins the fun as Alexander Dunning, a pivotal player to the plot. Smarmy and egomaniacal, Dreyfuss is delicious. But the icing on the cake is none other than Ernest Borgnine as Henry, the CIA records keeper. Borgnine still has the same energy and joyous comic abandon on screen as he did some 40 years ago in “McHale’s Navy”.
Basing the script on the graphic novels, the premise essentially remains the same but is expanded and elaborated upon by screenwriters Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber. Parlaying this into a real “buddy” picture, the character pairings of Frank and Joe, Frank and Martin, Frank and Victoria, Victoria and Ivan, Victoria and Martin and Frank and Sarah are deliciously entertaining with the characters exaggerated to be larger than life. Story construction is light and fun, bringing a sense of real adventure and a US travelogue to the mix. Using each city as a stop not only to introduce a new character and develop existing ones further, new intrigues, twists and turns are also added. Part of what makes RED so red hot is a script that is filled with simple, unconvoluted dialogue that is bandied about with style, wit and perfect timing by some of the greatest actors of our time. What could be rather mundane in the hands of less experienced actors, comes alive here. And talk about delivery! This is what separates the men from the boys, so to speak. Helen Mirren takes the cake when it comes to double entendre dry delivery that is to die for while Malkovich’s rapid fire matter-of-fact elan just pumps up the fun and comic silliness.
What makes RED fun is that it never takes itself too seriously but also doesn’t dismiss the project as frivolous. Director Robert Schwentke hits the nail on the head from start to finish with a perfect blend of action, espionage, intrigue, comedy and entertainment punctuated with explosive firepower, martial arts, stunts, car chases and more ammo than expended by The Expendables! The result is a comic action thriller that beats any E-ticket ride! (That’s “E” for exciting, explosive, entertainment!) Setting the stage and pacing the story with a calm, purposeful deliberateness, Schwenke has us primed like a fine carbuerator when the action really takes off. Very stylized and polished, cinematographer Florian Ballhaus, puts his stamp on each frame with superb framing and high intensity visuals. Notable is the decision by Schwenke to use screen sized antique postcards as establishing transition shots as the story moves from city to city, insuring the comic fun of RED.
RED. Retired: Extremely Dangerous. They’re old(er) and wise and well-preserved. They’re kicking ass and taking names and blowing up the world along the way. Exciting, explosive and entertaining, RED bursts into theatres this weekend with a blaze of laughter and action that won’t soon be extinguished.
Frank Moses – Bruce Willis
Joe Matheson – Morgan Freeman
Martin Biggs – John Malkovich
Victoria – Helen Mirren
Sarah – Mary Louise Parker
Directed by Robert Schwentke. Written by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber.
