Red (2010)

Directed by Robert Schwentke.

Starring: Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren.

Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is a former black ops agent who has settled into the monotony of retired life; he eats a healthy breakfast, undergoes his gruelling workout, and breaks the silence of this repetition by talking on the phone to Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) - a customer service worker who he has a crush on. One day, Frank’s routine is disrupted by a barrage of mysterious agents who try and fail to kill him. After saving Sarah from the same attack, Frank re-assembles his former colleagues to find out who sent the agents and why they want him dead.

I cannot promise that you’ll find all the answers to these questions, or that the plot won’t be overshadowed by severely over-stylized action scenes which are common of contemporary action films. What I can promise is that Red does everything it says on the tin; Bruce Willis glares at everything that moves, Morgan Freeman is the epitome of cool, and John Malkovich is... well, John Malkovich. Things explode, cars crash, and punches are thrown by the bucket load – what more can you want?

As evidenced in The Expendables, an ensemble cast of heavy-hitters can mean that some actors get underused - luckily, this isn’t the case in Red. All cast-members are used to their full capacity, although it would be nice (albeit slightly unrealistic) to see Morgan Freeman in a few action scenes rather than have him take the back seat. Also, having such a big cast list means that the dialogue risks getting lost in a sea of “hey, it’s that guy!” or “what have I seen her in before?”

In short, Red isn’t the neatest action film out at the minute, nor is it the best, but it is worth a look-see if you are a fan of the genre.