Red (2010 film)
Red is a 2010 American action comedy film loosely inspired by the limited comic-book series of the same name created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage. The film stars Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren, and Karl Urban, with German film director Robert Schwentke directing a screenplay by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber. In the film version, the title is derived from the designation of former Central Intelligence Agency Agent Frank Moses, meaning "Retired, Extremely Dangerous".
The film was released on October 15, 2010. It grossed $199 million worldwide. In 2011, the film received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Musical or Comedy Film. A sequel, Red 2, was released on July 19, 2013. Another sequel, Red 3, was in development as of 2013.
Plot
Frank Moses, a retired black-ops CIA agent, lives alone in Cleveland. Lonely, Frank creates opportunities to talk to Sarah Ross, a worker at the General Services Administration's pension office in Kansas City, by tearing up his pension checks and calling to say they haven't arrived.One night, an assassination squad raids Frank's house and attempts to kill him but he easily wipes them out. Knowing they will have tapped his phone, he believes Sarah will be targeted. In Kansas City Sarah refuses to go with him so he kidnaps her. Meanwhile CIA agent William Cooper is assigned by his boss Cynthia Wilkes to hunt down and kill Frank.
To find out who is targeting him Frank tracks down his old associates for help. He goes to New Orleans, Louisiana, and visits his CIA mentor Joe Matheson, who tells him the same hit squad murdered a New York Times reporter. An agent posing as a police officer tries to abduct Sarah but Frank returns in time. Cooper chases them but Frank tricks the police into arresting Cooper and escapes with Sarah. The two head to New York City and find clues left by the reporter which lead them to a hit list.
They find Marvin Boggs, another old associate and a paranoid conspiracy theorist, who tells them the people on the list, including Frank and Marvin, are connected to a secret 1981 mission in Guatemala. A pilot on the list, Gabriel Singer, tells them the mission involved extracting a person from a Guatemalan village. Singer is shot by a helicopter-borne machine-gunner and the team escapes as Cooper closes in.
Ex-Russian secret agent Ivan Simanov, in return for a favor, helps Frank infiltrate the CIA headquarters archive. Henry the records keeper has much respect for Frank and simply hands him the Guatemala file. Frank confronts Cooper in his office and the two fight. Frank is wounded, and Joe arrives to help extract the team. They hide out in the home of former wetwork agent Victoria Winslow, who treats Frank's wound and joins the team.
The file leads them to Alexander Dunning, an arms trafficker. Joe poses as a buyer and enters Dunning's mansion with Frank and Marvin while Victoria and Sarah keep watch outside. They interrogate Dunning, who tells them the target for extraction was Lieutenant Robert Stanton, whose Senator father organised the extraction via Dunning. Stanton is now Vice President and has ordered the assassination of people involved in the mission to hide the fact that he massacred village civilians.
The FBI surround Dunning's mansion. Cooper tries to negotiate Frank's surrender, and Frank tells him about the Vice President's treachery. The terminally ill Joe pretends to be Frank, walks outside, and is killed by unknown shooter. The confusion, as well as Victoria's cover fire, buys the team time to leave the mansion but Sarah is captured. Frank calls Cooper from Cooper's own family's home phone and warns him against harming Sarah.
The team kidnaps Stanton to trade for Sarah. Dunning arrives at the meeting point. Dunning injures Stanton, revealing himself and Wilkes to be behind the assassinations and that Stanton was never involved. Disgusted with Wilkes' corruption, Cooper pretends to arrest Frank but instead shoots Wilkes. Marvin and Victoria kill Dunning's bodyguards, and Frank punches Dunning in the throat. Cooper lets Frank's team go as Marvin kills Dunning. As they leave, Sarah is eager to accompany Frank on a new mission.
Ivan reminds Frank of his favor. A few months later, Frank and Marvin are fleeing Moldovan troops with a stolen nuclear device, with Marvin wearing a dress in a wooden wheelbarrow being pushed by Frank.
Cast
- Bruce Willis as Frank Moses
- Morgan Freeman as Joe Matheson
- John Malkovich as Marvin Boggs
- Helen Mirren as Victoria Winslow
- Karl Urban as William Cooper
- Mary-Louise Parker as Sarah Ross
- Rebecca Pidgeon as Cynthia Wilkes
- Brian Cox as Ivan Simanov
- Richard Dreyfuss as Alexander Dunning
- Julian McMahon as Vice President Robert Stanton
- Ernest Borgnine as Henry, The Records Keeper
- James Remar as Gabriel Singer
Production
In June 2008, Summit Entertainment announced plans to adapt Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner's Red. Red was adapted for the big screen by brothers Erich and Jon Hoeber, who also wrote the adaptations of Whiteout and Alice. The project was produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura.
By April 2009, Bruce Willis was reportedly in discussions with Summit to take the starring role of Frank Moses. It was reported in July 2009 that Morgan Freeman was in talks to co-star alongside Willis in the film. Also in July 2009, Robert Schwentke, the director of The Time Traveler's Wife and Flightplan, was in negotiations to direct Red. In August 2009, Schwentke confirmed to MTV News that he was on board. He stated that he loved the script, but differences existed between the comic and the movie, stating; "It's very funny, which the comic book isn't... It's not as violent as the comic book," and "The script that I've read is obviously different from the comic, because I don't think the comic gives you enough for a two-hour movie."
In November 2009, Helen Mirren was reported to be engaged to work alongside Freeman and Willis in the film. Also in November 2009, John C. Reilly and Mary-Louise Parker were in negotiations to join the cast. Reilly would play a retired CIA agent who is paranoid that everyone is out to kill him. Parker would play the romantic interest, a federal pension worker who becomes embroiled in the Willis character's struggle to stay alive. In the same month, Julian McMahon, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Dreyfuss, and Brian Cox entered negotiations to join the cast.
In December 2009, creator Warren Ellis stated on his mailing list: "Read the RED script. Not bad. Not the book, but not bad. Funny. Especially when you know the casting. Very tight piece of work. Talked to the producers last week. They're all kind of giddy over the casting coups. Who wouldn't want to see Helen Mirren with a sniper rifle?" Also in December 2009 Summit Entertainment announced a release date of October 22, 2010. The same month, James Remar was cast in an unspecified role, in addition to Karl Urban as "Cooper". In January 2010, reportedly John Malkovich had signed to star opposite Bruce Willis, replacing John C. Reilly, who exited the role in late December.
Principal photography began on January 18, 2010, in Toronto, Canada. Red was shot in and around the Toronto metropolitan area for nine weeks before moving on to the road and ending in New Orleans in late March for the final two weeks of principal photography. Filming in the French Quarter of New Orleans commenced in March 2010. Additional photography was shot for a post-credits scene in Louisiana in August 2010.
Release
A teaser trailer for Red was released in June 24, 2010. The first full trailer debuted in July 22, 2010 at the San Diego Comic-Con International. The film premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on October 11, 2010. Red was released on Blu-ray and DVD on January 25, 2011. The film was released by Summit Entertainment in the US and Entertainment One in the UK.Reception
Critical response
Red has a 72% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 208 reviews and an average rating of 6.37/10. The consensus reads: "It may not be the killer thrill ride you'd expect from an action movie with a cast of this caliber, but Red still thoroughly outshines most of its big-budget counterparts with its wit and style." Metacritic gave the film a score of 60/100 based on a normalized rating of 38 reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.Justin Chang of Variety stated Red is "An amusing, light-footed caper about a team of aging CIA veterans rudely forced out of retirement". John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter stated "Although tailor-made for genre fans, it benefits from flavors of humor and romance that keep its appeal from being fanboy-only".
Roger Ebert gave the film two stars out of four, stating that it is "neither a good movie nor a bad one. It features actors that we like doing things we wish were more interesting." A. O. Scott of The New York Times said, "It is possible to have a good time at Red, but it is not a very good movie. It doesn't really try to be, and given the present state of the Hollywood economy, this may be a wise choice". Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times said, "It's not that it doesn't have effective moments, it's that it doesn't have as many as it thinks it does. The film's inescapable air of glib self-satisfaction is not only largely unearned, it's downright irritating".