RED

This is an amusing take on the action comedy genre.

the main premise of the film is to gain enjoyment and glee from a cast of old actors firing massive machine guns and killing people. these are actors we are more used to seeing in oscar winning films giving heavy weight performances (with the exception of Bruc Willis) and it is clearly good fun to see them let loose on an action comedy. It does however feel a slightly weak structure to base a whole film on. the smaller moments where we see Morgan Freeman slapping someone round the face are great, but the larger action set pieces where it involves them actively running seem a little unbelievable even with your suspension of disbelief still firmly in place.

John Malkovich steals the show as the slightly insane CIA old timer who was used for LSD testing back in the eighties, and who is clearly not all there. a great show with some film stealing dialogue and expressions.

a fairly simplistic plot involves the cast trying to clear their name from an old assignment, throw in a few strange love interests - one for Bruce Willis, with a young woman from a call centre and Helen Mirren and Brian Cox getting it on and you have an enjoyable if unsubtantial film.

a fun half term treat.

3 stars