Big Screen Peter: RED

Editor’s note: Peter Lewis has agreed to use whatever it is you call his writing style to provide some measure of analysis to those folks who still go to a theater to see a movie.

review by Peter Lewis

At some point in his 30-plus years of acting, Bruce Willis perfected a devastating move: perpetually appearing as if he’s in on something.

Secrets are fascinating and he always seems to be sporting a few behind that crooked grin. It’s an alluring skill that allows him to draw audiences into his world on screen. “RED,” directed by Robert Schwentke and co-starring Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, and John Malkovich, is just the latest in a long line of examples.

Like so many other films these days, the story of “RED” was adapted from a comic book. It centers around the aforementioned Willis. He stars as Frank Moses, a retired (yet still dangerous!) CIA operative. The picaresque plot is thrust into action by an attempted hit on Moses. Uncertain of who was after him as well as why, Moses sets off to not only uncover the questions, but to save the woman he fancies — Mary Louise Parker, as Sarah Ross.

To further his aims, Moses, in due course, engages the talents of some of his trusted colleagues — Freeman, Mirren, and Malkovich, also retired. And dangerous. Together they strike a blow to the evil genius of America … and to minimum age-retirement laws it seems as well.

As far as actors go, a director could scarcely expect to work with a more talented bunch on such a scant script.

Malkovich is, well he’s Malkovich. Even as Marvin Boggs, a fried, LSD test subject gone AWOL, he’s an inveterate professional through and through. And the rest can be repeated for the rest of the cast: Freeman is his lauded, understated self, while Mirren shines through like a lighthouse (even at 65, she’s a beautiful beam in Hollywood’s fog of oversexed and talent feeble starlets).

Though the movie is overflowing with talented actors, the narrative doesn’t offer much. Too often, however, films end up out thinking themselves in a quest for narrative originality. That sort of ill-fated baseness will always fall short of its mark, so it’s refreshing to see a film maintain a basic level of simplicity with the driving conflict. The most enduring tales are those that are easiest to pass along.

Thematically, “RED” is an odd cross-section. While it is certainly love flick, it also features the pathos of a more traditional “us against them” vehicle. But even more than that, it’s an AARP statement of possibility and freedom. Positioning these retired agents against the beautiful youth thrusts the traditional concept on its head. Not only are these dangerous pensioners youthful in ideology, but they remain uncorrupted by the cynicism of accruing age. It’s Space Cowboys meets the A-Team. And though that should certainly sound like an insult, “RED” is a good movie.

• RED is playing at the Carmike 14 and the Malco Cinema 12 in Fort Smith, and the Malco Van Buren Cinema. Link here for time and ticket info.

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