"RED" (2010) Review

"RED" (2010) Review

Loosely inspired by the three-part DC Comics comic book series created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, "RED" told the story about a former black-ops C.I.A. agent named Frank Moses, who reassembles his old team in a last ditch effort to survive a series of assassination attempts on him. Thanks to one member of his team, Marvin Boggs, Frank learns that a mysterious figure is sending both assassins and a C.I.A. black-ops agent named William Cooper to wipe out all members of a secret mission in Guatemala that Frank participated in back in 1981.

"RED" turned out to be a pretty solid action-comedy film that greatly benefitted from veteran cast members that included Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Brian Cox, Ernest Borgnine and Richard Dreyfuss. The cast also included the likes of Mary Louise Parker, Julian McMahon and Karl Urban. Surprisingly, the only members of the cast that seemed to have a persistent presence throughout the movie were Willis (the main star), Parker, Malkovich and Urban. Everyone else seemed to be making cameo or guest appearances in the movie. Regardless of the amount of time spent in the movie, each cast member gave a first-class performance in the movie. I was especially impressed by Willis as the weary ex-agent who is stimulated back into life at the prospect of learning the identity of the person behind the assassination attempts upon him. Malkovich gave my favorite performance as the paranoid Marvin Boggs, who seemingly ridiculous theories about any potential danger end up being correct. And I also enjoyed Helen Mirren as a former MI-6 assassin Victoria, who seemed just as thrilled as Frank to be back in action.

German-born Robert Schwentke displayed a quirky sense of humor in his direction of "RED". I had expected some humor in the movie, but Schwentke stylized the violence in a way that reminded me of movies like "PAYBACK" or "SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD". Scribes Jon and Erich Hoeber did a solid job in adapting Ellis and Hammer’s comic tale. Some fans of the comic novel may have taken umbrage at their loose adaptation. But since I have never read the three comic books . . . . it did not bother me that much. However, I found the showdown inside the Chicago hotel parking garage rather confusing. The overall action did not confuse me, but the main villain’s reasoning and personal actions did. This did not ruin the movie for me, but it came damn close. Overall, "RED" was a pretty solid movie, but I have seen better comic films.

"R.I.P.D." (2013) Review

"R.I.P.D." (2013) Review

The Summer of 2013 seems destined to be known as "The Season of Flops". I have never come across so many summer movies that bombed at the box office in such a short space of time. One of those flops turned out to be "R.I.P.D.", a recent adaptation of Peter M. Lenkov's comic book novel, "Rest in Peace Department". 

The movie begins with the aftermath of the theft of gold found during a drug bust by Boston Police Department Detectives Nick Walker and Bobby Hayes. Nick buries the gold in his backyard, hoping to use his share of the gold for a better life for his wife and himself. But when he expresses regret for taking the gold to his partner Hayes, the latter kills Nick during a police raid at a warehouse in order to prevent the younger man from returning the gold. After ascending to the afterlife, Nick finds himself in into the office of Mildred Proctor, director of the Boston division of the Rest In Peace Department (R.I.P.D.), an agency that recruits deceased police officers to patrol the afterlife and capture "Deados" - spirits that failed to cross over and return to Earth as monstrous ghosts. Nick agrees to join the R.I.P.D. after Proctor explains that it would stave off a potentially negative final judgment for at least a century. He also meets his new partner, an ex-U.S. Marshal from the 1800s named Roy Pulsipher. 

While attending his funeral, Nick learns that all R.I.P.D. officers have avatars - fake appearances perceived by the living. Nick is viewed as an elderly Chinese man named Jerry Chen and the living see Roy as a beautiful Russian woman named Opal Pavlenko. When the two partners nab and kill a suspect named Stanley Nawlicki, they find pieces of gold identical to the ones Nick and his old partner Hayes had stolen. The duo learn from one of Roy's snitches that the gold is connected to a dealer named Elliot. They trace Elliot to none other than Nick's former partner, Bobby Hayes . . . and eventually learn that the latter is actually a "Deado", who used a token to disguise his dead state. They also learn that both Hayes and Elliot have been gathering gold to construct a mystic device called the Staff of Jericho, which could reverse the tunnel that transports the dead into the afterlife, returning them to Earth.

What can I say about "R.I.P.D."? It was not perfect. Ryan Reynolds gave a first-rate performance as the movie's main character, Nick Walker. But the character also proved to be a somewhat dour and slightly off-putting personality who seemed to have little patience with his R.I.P.D. partner. Not only did I find Christophe Beck's score unmemorable, but almost undetectable. Once the Bobby Hayes character is revealed to be a "Deado", he struck me as . . . somewhat unthreatening. It did not help that actor Kevin Bacon portrayed the character with a less menacing air, after his character's big secret was revealed. And I do not know whether to blame Bacon, director Robert Schwentke or Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi's screenplay. My biggest beef with "R.I.P.D." proved to be the movie's final action sequence. The final battle between the two R.I.P.D. officers and Hayes and the other "Deadoes" struck me as anti-climatic . . . lacking in substance. The chase sequence through downtown Boston seemed fine. But the fight on the roof of one of the city's skyscrapers did not strike me as particularly exciting or eventful. Nick and Roy's defeat of Hayes and the other spirits almost seemed to easy. I cannot help but blame Schwentke, whose direction of the action finale in 2010's "RED" did not particularly impress me.

I could have easily accused "R.I.P.D." of lack of originality, pointing out that it seemed like a mixture of the MEN IN BLACK franchise and Showtime's 2003-2004 series, "DEAD LIKE ME". And I would be right. But I cannot blame the director or the screenwriters for the lack of originality. The blame belongs to Peter M. Lenkov, who created the comic book in the first place. But if I must be honest, I do not care if the movie's premise lacked any real originality. In the end, I realized I enjoyed the idea of supernatural cops reigning in dead spirits too much to really care. There were other aspect of"R.I.P.D." that I also enjoyed. 

The makeup department did an outstanding job with some of the "Deado" characters, especially for the Elliot character, whose revelation as a dead spirit nearly blew my mind. I also enjoyed Alwin H. Küchler's photography of Boston, even if the scenes could have used sharper color. Despite Reynolds' dour portrayal of the Nick Walker character, I cannot deny that he and Jeff Bridges made a pretty decent screen team. But it was the interaction between Bridges' Roy Pulsipher and Mary-Louise Parker's Mildred Proctor that really seemed to sizzle to me. I also enjoyed the idea of Nick and Roy's avatars as a duo - especially in the form of veteran actor James Hong and model Marissa Miller. For some reason, the two clicked on screen . . . in a rather eccentric way. And although I had some problems with the story's finale, I must admit that I found the humor featured in the movie rather funny - especially many of Bridges' lines and some of his scenes with Parker.

Yes, I realize that "R.I.P.D." was not particularly perfect or even original. But you know what? I still managed to enjoy the film, despite its imperfections. The movie featured some outstanding visual effects, sharp humor from Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi; and some funny performances, especially from the likes of Jeff Bridges and Mary-Louise Parker. I am certain that many would disagree with me, but I did not find "R.I.P.D." a waste of my time.

"RED 2" (2013) Review

"RED 2" (2013) Review

The 2010 adaptation of Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner's comic book series proved to be very popular at the box office. Yet, I was surprised that it took another three years for the sequel, "RED 2" to be released in the movie theaters. Unless the movie in question is part of the STAR WARS franchise, it usually takes two years or less for a sequel to appear on the scene. 

"RED 2" picks up a few years after "RED", which finds ex-C.I.A. agent Frank Moses trying to lead a normal life with his girlfriend, Sarah Ross. The effort seems to be a strain for both, although Frank seems to be more successful in accepting a "normal life". Frank's former colleague Marvin Bogge interrupts this "idyllic life" by warning Frank that people might be following them. Frank dismisses Marvin's fears before the latter drives off before his car is blown up. After Frank and Sarah attend Marvin's funeral, the former is captured by government agents to a Yankee White Facility, where he is interrogated by a C.I.A. operative named Jack Horton. Frank manages to escape the facility with the help of a resurrected Marvin. And the latter reveals that he and Frank were being hunted for being part of a secret operation called Nightshade, which smuggled a nuclear weapon created by one Dr. Edward Bailey, piece by piece into Russia back in the late 1970s or early 80s. Horton is ordered to label Frank, Marvin and Sarah terrorists to other countries. Former MI-6 assassin, Victoria Winslow informs her friends that she has been recruited by her former agency to kill them. She also informs them that former South Korean agent-turned-top contract killer Han Cho-Bai has been hired by the C.I.A. to kill Frank and Marvin. With so many after them; Frank, Marvin and Sarah are forced to learn the truth about Nightshade in order to clear themselves of the terrorist charge.

I had enjoyed "RED" when the movie first came out, three years ago. But if I must be honest, I did not love it. My opinion of it grew over the years. But after seeing "RED 2", I realize that my views of it will never be as high as "RED 2". The summer of 2013 seemed to be plagued by box office flops and from what I have seen of the box office take for "RED 2"after it had been in the theaters for three weeks, it is clear that it is a flop. Once again, I am faced with a movie that I seemed to like a lot more than the majority of moviegoers and critics. If I had been younger, I would have taken the public's rejection of the film personally. But when I think of the number of failed movies that I have enjoyed over the years, I have come to the conclusion that I no longer cared whether the rest of the public share my feelings for a particular movie. As far as I am concerned, I enjoyed "RED 2" very much and look forward to its DVD release.

As in the 2010 movie, "RED 2" featured a past operation that has come back to haunt two of its main heroes - Frank Moses and Marvin Bogges. But in "RED 2", the circumstances and plot surrounding the Nightshade Operation struck me as more plausible and better written that the covert operation featured in "RED". Even the villains' objectives struck me as a lot more plausible. Realizing this has made me wonder why my opinion of "RED" has increased in the past three years."RED 2" also delved more into Frank's relationship with his Kansas City-born paramour, Sarah Ross. I found it rather amusing that the ever paranoid Marvin seemed to understand Sarah's need for action a lot better than Frank, who seemed determined to treat her as a china doll. But as Marvin pointed out - Frank is blinded by his fear of losing Sarah. Their relationship is also tested by Frank's reunion with a former paramour - a KGB colonel named Katya, and Sarah's talent for using her feminine wiles to deal with terrorists such as "The Frog" and a Russian Army officer at the Kremlin. Best of all,"RED 2" featured some top-notch villains - including the proficiently murderous C.I.A. agent Jack Horton and one Han Cho-Bai, viewed as the best contract killer in the world. "RED 2" also possess one of the best plot twists I have seen in some time. It certainly proved to be better than any of the plot twists featured in the 2010 movie. Jon and Erich Hoeber did a great job with a complex script.

Did I have any problems with "RED 2"? I had a little problem with Marvin's ability to fake death. Considering that he was presumably killed due to a car bomb, I was surprised that no one found the idea of a pristine body inside the coffin rather questionable . . . especially Sarah Ross. And who really had been responsible for Operation Nightshade? The C.I.A. or MI-6? Or was it a joint effort? The Hoebers' script never really made the matter clear.

The performances in "RED 2" were marvelous. Beginning with the three leads - Bruce Willis, John Malkovich and Mary-Louise Parker - and down to Titus Welliver, who more or less gave a cameo appearance; the movie rocked with some first-rate acting. For the second time, Bruce Willis and Mary-Louise Parker created comic and romantic screen chemistry as the love-struck Frank Moses and Sarah Ross. Thanks to the actors' comedic skills, both did a great job in conveying the pair's relationship struggles of her boredom of being an "ordinary" couple and his penchant for being over protective. Once again, John Malkovich was marvelous as the deliciously paranoid Marvin Bogges, who in this film, also displays a talent for romantic counseling. Helen Mirren not only gave a deliciously witty performance as British assassin Victoria Winslow, she also proved that to be a bad-ass action star in some of the scenes in the movie's second half. When I had learned that Lee Byung-hun from the "G.I. JOE" had been cast in the film, I assumed his character would be a great deal like the one he had portrayed in the Hasbro film franchise. I proved to be right . . . superficially. Thankfully, the actor's portrayal of the assassin Han proved to be a great deal more emotional and rather funny, despite being deadly.

The movie also featured an excellent performance from Neal McDonough as the very dangerous and rather cold-blooded C.I.A. agent, Jack Horton. His character's takedown of the agents at the Yankee White Facility struck me as somewhat creepy. Brian Cox reprised his role as Russian intelligence official, Ivan Simanov. He was funnier than ever - especially in one scene in which he was lovingly admiring Victoria's form as she rescued Frank, Sarah and Marvin from a Russian firing squad. Catherine Zeta-Jones gave a sly and sexy performance as Frank's paramour, Russian agent Katya. David Thewlis made a brief appearance as a techno-terrorist named "The Frog". Not only did the actor did a great job during a chase scene in Paris, he was absolutely hilarious in a scene in which "The Frog" finally surrendered to Sarah's wooing during an interrogation. The one performance that really impressed me came from Anthony Hopkins, who portrayed the scientist who first created Nightshade, Dr. Edward Bailey. Hopkins' performance struck me as strange . . . and I am being complimentary. The actor was superb in projecting Bailey's eccentricity, which developed after years of being stuck in an assylum by MI-6 for nearly three decades. And it was quite a thrill to see him in his only scene with Brian Cox . . . especially since both actors had portrayed Hannibal Lector with great acclaim.

Box office flop or not, I cannot deny that I enjoyed "RED 2" very much. Not only did it struck me as better than the original 2010 movie, but also proved to be one of my favorite movies for the summer of 2013. And I have director Dean Parisot, a great script written by Jon and Erich Hoeber, and a fabulous cast led by Bruce Willis to thank.

"R.I.P.D." (2013) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "R.I.P.D.", the recent adaptation of Peter M. Lenkov's comic book called "Rest in Peace Department". Directed by Robert Schwentke, the movie stars Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds: 


"R.I.P.D." (2013) Photo Gallery

"RED 2" (2013) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "RED 2", the recent sequel to the 2010 hit, "RED", which was based upon Warren Ellis' limited comic series. Directed by Dean Parisot, the movie stars Bruce Willis, John Malkovich and Mary-Louise Parker: 


"RED 2" (2013) Photo Gallery

"RED" Photo Gallery

Below are images from the new adaptation of the DC Comics three-issue story created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Cully Hamner called "RED". Directed by Robert Schwentke, the movie starred Bruce Willis, Mary Louise Parker, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, Richard Dreyfuss, Brian Cox and Helen Mirren:


"RED" Photo Gallery