RED 2 (Full Review) Director: Dean Parisot. Cast: Bruce Willis, Mary Louise-Parker, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lee Byung-hun, Neal McDonough and Anthony Hopkins. *1/2 out of **** When RED came out in 2010, it grossed just shy of the $200 million mark on a budget of $58 million. That’s a fairly modest budget for an action movie featuring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich as former CIA operatives coming out of retirement as they run and gun for their lives. What elevated the movie up and beyond the average action flick was the likable chemistry shared by the three leads with the added bonus of Helen Mirren as an assassin and Mary Louise-Parker as a fish-out-of-water type who’s Willis’ main squeeze. It was charming and full of adventure, danger and excitement. In RED 2, the surviving members return for a second go-round at the mayhem, but the end result is much less satisfying than the first film. The plot should sound familiar. Frank Moses (Willis) is once again sprung from retirement and joins forces with his comrade Marvin Boggs (Malkovich) to locate a nuclear weapon that has gone missing. To do so, they must spring the cuckoo doctor who created it from the looney bin. Meanwhile, with his girlfriend Sarah (Louise-Parker) and an old flame, Katya (Zeta-Jones) in tow, Frank and company must dodge bullets to survive. Whereas RED had the comedic tone down pat, RED 2 fails to achieve the laughter factor. It’s not that it tries to take itself too seriously, but there are a few clever moments that simply come and go. They arrive but never take off. The film’s funny backbone is derailed purposely to get the action moving which in this case is tedious to the extreme. Bullets fly and things blow up but no one ever seems to get hurt. The film is as generic as most 90s action films starring Jackie Chan or Jean-Claude Van Damme were. It’s like the writers had nothing new to add to the genre. Speaking of the writing, it’s blatantly obvious from the get-go where the story is heading. Every time a new character is introduced, we can plainly see whose side they’re on. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anthony Hopkins, two new additions to the cast, are mostly wasted. However, Hopkins’ comedic timing is favorable but induces giggles and not big laughs. The big reveal towards the end is less of a reveal and more like a big slap in the face. We’ve seen this all before! Willis, Louise-Parker, Malkovich and Mirren barely hold the film together. Mirren is particularly fun to watch as the world’s deadliest assassin, Victoria Winters, as she foils the bad guys’ plans with grace and flair. She still has as strong a presence in this film as she did in its predecessor. Rarely cracking a smile, Malkovich and Willis look like they’re in rough shape and just about ready to throw in the towel. Mary Louise-Parker, however, is having a blast. I cannot say I felt the way she did.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 19:43:44 +0000
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