REDs

RED –  movie review
“RED” (2010) is a movie series / vehicle for a number of aging actors (primarily Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker and Brian Cox) to star in a “semi”-comedic action / adventure spy movie (based on a comic book series of the same name).  Cox is a Russian agent.  Mirren is British.  The rest are Americans (mostly CIA).  Parker plays the odd person out.  She is not a former (retired) spy.  She just falls into the series as Willis’ character love interest.  He just wants to see if he could have had a “normal” life.  Parker’s character turns out to be an adventure junkie (as she would be).  “RED” is an acronym for “Retired, Extremely Dangerous”, and is how each of the former spies’ personnel folders are labeled.
In this first movie, the bad guys are trying to kill Willis and his old team because … who really cares?  Blah, blah, blah…  Humor, gunfights, explosions and car chases later, the bad guy is killed and everyone lives happily ever after.  Well, all except for Morgan Freeman, who gets shot dead.  Yeah, he was former CIA too.  Apparently, his death didn’t really count for the series because they make a point of telling us that he’s due to die from kidney disease in 90 days.  This way, they don’t have to draw straws later in a suicide mission moment.
Does the movie work and is it entertaining?  Yes and yes.  The movie is basically, “Die Hard” with a team, so it’s hardly a stretching role for Willis, but he’s okay with it and, as a fan, I’m willing to buy into it too.  The best character in the movie is Malkovich as the paranoid / crazy ex-spy.  He knocks it out of the park and pretty much steals all of his scenes.  All in all, final recommendation:  strong recommendation.
RED 2 – movie review
“RED 2” (2013) more or less takes up where the first movie ended.  Plot:  more guys trying to kill Willis.  The team gets back together to locate and destroy a nuclear weapon placed in Moscow a couple of decades ago.  Once again, blah, blah, blah…  Humor, gunfights, explosions and car chases later, the bad guy is killed and everyone lives happily ever after.   Yes, there is the minor “thing” of a nuclear explosion just outside of London, but details, details…  Oh, yeah.  Did I mention this device was a “red mercury” warhead?  I guess somebody was a “new” Star Trek Nero (the bad guy / Romulan Captain) fan and they borrowed some of his “red matter”.
Again, does the movie work and is it entertaining?  Yes and yes.  The movie is basically, “Die Hard“(ish) with a team, so it’s hardly a stretching role for Willis, but he’s okay with it and, as a fan, I’m willing to buy into it too.  The best character in the movie is Malkovich as the paranoid / crazy ex-spy.  He knocks it out of the park and pretty much steals all of his scenes.  This time, Mirren is a much closer second best.  All in all, final recommendation: strong recommendation.  (And, yes I know that was a “cut-n-paste” from above, but, hey, the movie was too.)  Still, like I said, “Strong Recommendation”.  I am a fan of the genre and of the actors, so I’ll probably like numbers 3 and 4 too, when they finally come out.
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On This Day In:
2021	A Little Forgetfulness
	Thoughts While Driving To Work
2020	Making Potential Come True
	Predating / Predicting Nerdhood
2019	Duration Unknown
	Day 6: Almost There
2018	Just Trying To Be Me
	Day 39: Half This Game Is 90% Mental
2017	A Letter To 45
	Some Small Place
2016	REDs
2015	Cities
2014	Still
2013	Dare = Hope
2012	Check My Math
2011	Just Asking