Sometimes we want our action challenging, dark and bone-chilling. And sometimes it should just be entertaining, not take itself too seriously and can be a little crazy. There are bonus points for one absolutely legendary castwho clearly enjoys being able to spin a bit freely.
Legendary sounds a bit exaggerated at first. But when you let Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren loose on each other in an absolutely killer mood, the description certainly applies. Add The Boys star Karl Urban to the equation and boom! Obtained with RED – Older, Harder, Better and RED 2 cracking double feature with lots of fun.
RED 1 and 2 on Amazon Prime brings a few action legends back from retirement
Frank Moses (Willis) is a normal, retired man. A normal, bored man who misses his old job. A completely normal, bored out of his mind, more hungry for blood, bullets and explosives Man. Frank was a former CIA agent and normal life is simply not for him, as he painfully discovers again and again.
It almost comes in handy when someone starts hunting him and his old colleagues from the secret service. He and his friends Joe (Freeman), Marvin (Malkovich) and Victoria (Helen Mirren) belong to the RED category – Retired, extremely dangerous. In German: Retired but extremely dangerous.
Now someone wants to get to them because they obviously know too much. Now it’s up to Frank and his companion Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker), who accidentally got caught between the two fronts, to bring the old gang back together conspiracy to uncover what is behind this chaos. The tires squeak, the lead flies and old friendships are put to the test.
The RED series is wonderful action entertainment from the first to the last second
The RED series doesn’t redefine action. In this respect it is simply rock solid. You blow things up at appropriate intervals with a lot of flying sparks and offer a happy mix classic baking pipe salad and chase buffet. But the one who takes everything to a very special level is and remains the cast.
It’s obviously good for the elderly, but no less playful, protagonists, here not having to take it very seriously. Not having to act like they’re still in their mid-thirties. Mirren dominates every scene without exception. Malkovich is quirkier than ever and surprises with new absurdities. Bruce Willis smiles the best Bruce Willis smile.
Even the second and third rows of the cast are waiting wonderfully entertaining whimsy and quirkiness on. Part 2 adds a biting Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anthony Hopkins himself. The RED films do not write cinema history. But anyone who has even a tiny heart for action can only win here.
Both RED parts can be seen now in the streaming flat rate on Amazon Prime.
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