MOVIE REVIEW: RED 2

Frank (Bruce Willis), Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker), and Marvin (John Malkovich) fight an unrelenting onslaught of hired killers, heavily armed terrorists, and powerful government officials in their desperate race to prevent a missing portable nuclear device from falling into the wrong hands. Sir Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Lee Byung-hun, and Catherine Zeta Jones co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Dean Parisot

Cast: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren

Release Date: Jul 19, 2013

Rated PG-13 for pervasive action and violence including frenetic gunplay, and for some language and drug material.

Runtime: 1 hr. 56 min.

Review:

I’ll be upfront and say that I enjoyed Red 2 much more than I probably should have. It’s overlong somewhat predictable and incredibly stupid but it delivers the kind of mindless fun I look for occasionally. Dean Parisot direction is far from perfect but he excels with the outlandish action set pieces which are lots of fun. Unfortunately there are plenty of dead spots throughout, the film could have easily been trimmed by a good half hour. By the end of the film even the action pieces start to drag on because the film just seems to go on forever. Still, the cast is clearly enjoying themselves with expanded roles for Mary-Louise Parker and Helen Mirren which I consider a positive. Anthony Hopkins and Lee Byung-hun inject some good energy while Catherine Zeta Jones isn’t nearly as effective as you’d expect. Bruce Willis is on cruise control letting the supporting players do the heavy lifting. Red 2 is a film that’s easy to watch and just as easy to forget.

C+