RED is an incredibly fun action-comedy that excels more on its likeable cast than the actual plot which isn’t that great, but a serviceable vehicle for the aging cast, headlined by Bruce Willis whose more at home in this role than his last couple outings of Die Hard.
RED
(2010)
Genre(s): Action, Comedy
Lionsgate | PG13 – 112 min. – $22.99 | September 5, 2017
Date Published: 08/29/2017 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE — 3.75/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Frank (BRUCE WILLIS) is a former black-ops CIA agent living a quiet life alone… until the day a hit squad shows up to kill him. With his identity compromised, Frank reassembles his old team – Joe (MORGAN FREEMAN), Marvin (JOHN MALKOVICH), and Victoria (HELEN MIRREN) – and sets out to prove that they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Quick Hit Review: RED is a fantastic ensemble action-comedy where the explosions are plentiful and the humor actually worked. It’s also features the perfect cast with the likes of Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich showcasing their comedic acting chops while Morgan Freeman being, well, Morgan Freeman kicking ass. The supporting cast is also impressive from Karl Urban as the man chasing down Frank and crew; Richard Dreyfus as a crusty old gangster; and Mary-Louise Parker looking as cute as a button. Directed by Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler’s Wife, R.I.P.D.), RED was a modest box office hit raking in nearly $200 million worldwide which brought on a sequel. This isn’t exactly a top-notch action-comedy along the lines of a Lethal Weapon, Beverly Hills Cop or even Stakeout, but it certainly has a 1980s feel to the simple story and style of both the action and comedy. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.25/5 |
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This release comes with a rounded-corner and glossy slip cover. Inside is a code for the Digital HD copy as well as the Blu-ray. Audio Commentary – Retired CIA field officer Robert Baer Deleted/Extended Scenes (8:46; HD) – There are 10 scenes that either got removed or trimmed. Access: RED is a feature that plays with the movie and contains cast/crew interviews, trivia about the production and facts from experts in the field. (Blu-ray disc only) Theatrical Trailer (2:11; HD) (4K disc only) |
VIDEO – 4.5/5 |
| Lionsgate releases RED onto 4K Blu-ray presented with a 2160p ultra high-definition resolution and shown in its original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio. This is actually a good movie to showcase in 4K as it has plentiful colors and on that front, the film does look good with a modest boost in color (this comes with both Dolby Vision and HDR10, the latter my system has) while detail is rather sharp. That said, the picture already was great on Blu-ray and there is an extra dimension, just don’t expect a significant improvement. |
AUDIO – 5.0/5 |
| Also getting an upgrade is the audio going from the DTS-HD MA 5.1 on Blu-ray to Dolby Atmos here on 4K. The former already sounded fantastic to begin with and the Atmos version is just as good if not adding a bit more depth and dynamic audio making use of every available channel with the bulk coming out of the center speaker with the dialogue which was generally clear while the action-centric sequences sounded amazing feeling every crash, bullet shot, etc. |
OVERALL – 3.75/5 |
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Overall, RED is an incredibly fun action-comedy that excels more on its likeable cast than the actual plot which isn’t that great, but a serviceable vehicle for the aging cast, headlined by Bruce Willis whose more at home in this role than his last couple outings of Die Hard, and John Malkovich is a hoot. This 4K release from Lionsgate offers great video and audio transfers that are a moderate upgrade over its Blu-ray counterpart. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.