"Red": PG-13 Expendables with Actual Characters

For those wanting a throwback to the Roger Moore days of "James Bond", Summit Entertainment has offered up "Red", a comic adaptation for those who thought the violence in "The Expendables" (Also distributed by Lionsgate) was too graphic.

Frank Moses is a bored, retired CIA operator whose only thrill is getting his pension check. This allows him the chance to lie about receiving it when he calls his dedicated claims agent Sarah.

His life is suddenly turned upside down when the someone powerful convinces the CIA that he is a liability. Unfortunately, the person(s) pulling the strings fail to take into account Moses's RED status. He is Retired and Extremely Dangerous.

To get to the bottom of this plot, Frank will need to recruit some fellow REDs to bring the fight to the CIA. Hopefully Sara is patient and understanding enough to tag a long on this mission. As if she has a choice.

If you want to see an action movie with over-the-hill actors that has substance, "RED" delivers where "The Expendables" failed to. Not to take knocks at the Stallone flick, it is just the difference between a well thought out A-movie and an overblown B-movie.

The characters give dynamic performances since they are all accomplished thespians (Bruce Willis is just waiting for his lifetime achievement Oscar) with the exception of John Malkovich. I know this is not "art" and he knew it too. Thus he portrays MALKOVICH!!!. If he would have done this in "Jonah Hex" (another DC adaptation) he could have saved that film.

Again, not to knock Stallone's cast, but "The Expendables's" performers were merely required to play up their gimmick personas from their previous action films. "RED" is an espionage flick, so the action is secondary. Fortunately, the action is delivered as well as any pre- Daniel Craig "Bond" feature.

This film's story requires attention from the audience as it offers occasional twists. With the action standards set by the recent Bond/Bourne movies being ignored, its second act does feel like it is running long. That may also stem from getting thorough introduction for each character. Knowing the characters are multidimensional makes the feature worthwhile.

"RED" is the best ensemble film with an inflated budget of 2010 (My draft was written on 10/19/2010). It is accessible to audiences of all ages, is fun, and is just intelligent enough. This is a fine example of how a film should be composed to emphasize great acting whether or not this is high art. Not as sequel ready as "The Expendables," but why should any screenwriter dream of "RED 2"? (That feature ended up how I predicted).

RED (2010) - IMDb