Red: Blu-ray (2009)

When previews for Red first started appearing on TV in October I wanted nothing to do with it. It looked like a straight, gimmicky, paycheck for the numerous stars (Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren and Mary Louise Parker). Once the original reviews started coming in (and were generally positive) my stance softened enough to add it to my Netflix que and forget about it. I almost removed it on more than one occasion to make room for other "films" but ultimately it stayed on and I got to be pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

Frank Moses (Willis) is a retired CIA agent who's life gets thrown into disarray when a hit squad attempts to take him out. He then goes on the run to figure out who is trying to kill him and why. Along for the ride are his potential love interest (Parker) and a bunch of his former CIA cohorts (Malkocich, Freeman, Mirren) and a couple surprise guests.

The plot is the stuff of a pretty generic action comedy but the cast elevates it above the level of standard fare. Now there is by no means a part that's overly challenging for actors of this caliber but they all appear to be having a blast while making it. There's definitely a Ocean's 11 type vibe emitting from the whole movie. Willis is playing a guy he's played numerous times before and Freeman doesn't get all that much to do but they're welcome screen presences nonetheless. I've never seen Mirren in this type of role before -- not a lot of movies call for a 60+ year old women to be somewhat sexy -- but she acquits herself very well. Malkovich plays his part a little too jokey but it's hardly detrimental to either the role or the movie. The rest of the cast is rounded out by some good character actors and a couple more familiar faces that I wasn't expecting and it paid off.

The technical aspects of the blu-ray are very strong. Visually, Red is a very colorful movie but still retains it's realism. It looks great and the transfer is pristine. The audio is as impressive as the video. The action scenes come alive with surround and low end usage. The dialogue is well mixed and understandable even when it's surrounded by chaos. There's not much more to say, this is a reference quality disc.

Red isn't a great film but it is fun. You can tell everyone was having a ball making it and that sense of enjoyment can't help but rub off on the viewer. I doubt it's a movie that someone would need to own but a rental is well worth your time.

Ratings:

Movie: 3.5/5
Blu-ray: 5/5