Red 2 (2013)
Certified: 12A
Duration: 116 minutes
Directed by: Dean Parisot
Starring: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Mary-Louise Parker, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Byung-hun Lee, Brian Cox, David Thewlis
KRS release
Bruce Willis returns as Frank Moses, a CIA agent who is Red – Retired and extremely dangerous.
He wants to live a relaxed life with girlfriend Sarah (Mary Louise Parker) but she wants the opposite – the adrenaline rush of his former job.
That is when Marvin (John Malkovich), Frank’s friend and also a Red, gives him the news of a frame-up. An operation called Nightshade from the time of the Cold War has been placed in their lap.
This operation had meant the bringing into Russia of a nuclear bomb. Agent Jack Horton (Neal McDonough) wants Frank dead because of this.
So Frank, accompanied by Sarah and Marvin, sets off to find who is behind all this. Involved in this event are also Han Cho Bai (Byung-hun Lee) who had been Frank’s student and is now trying to get rid of him; Victoria (Helen Mirren), who is an MI6 killer and should be on a hunt to kill Frank; and her lover Ivan Simanov (Brian Cox).
In the equation we also find Frank’s former girlfriend, Katja (Catherine Zeta-Jones); a Russian agent called The Frog (David Thewlis), who has precious information; and Edward Bailey (Anthony Hopkins), the scientist who had made the bomb.
Red (2010) was a humorous and exciting mix of action and comedy that appealed to fans and critics alike. Along comes the sequel and, if you are one of those who subscribed to Willis and Co.’s modus operandi, then you are sure to enjoy this new cinematic caper.
The main difference here is that Red 2 does not have the surprise aspect that the first outing had. However, what makes this sequel so enjoyable is seeing a host of A-list actors having fun as they pump out mindless action with heartfelt abandon.
It’s watching the likes of Mirren brandishing her own brand of two-gun action and Malkovich overdoing his sense of self-parody that really sets the fire burning.
As expected, the plot itself is not that important. It’s about the characters, the actors’ flamboyant attitude, the slick, cool moves and a sense of nostalgia for the time when action was delivered in a brash manner with a lack of self-awareness.
As expected, the plot itself is not that important
Willis’s performance here is a case in point. His Frank Moses has all the tics of his Die Hard character, John McClane. He delivers Moses with a sense of both respect and self-parody that is admirable.
Malkovich is genuinely funny and yet intense, while Parker is suitably enthusiastic. Mirren knows that her role is cheesy stuff and she accomplishes this with panache. Meanwhile, Lee, recently seen in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, provides the real muscle and action chops to the movie, giving it its action credibility.
The film has a sense of energy that jumps at you in the way it delivers both the laughs and the bullets.
Overall, this movie brims with confidence and has all the swagger that is needed to pull it through. It also show the younger actors that the veterans still know how to have fun.