In 2010 the spy action-comedy RED about a group of retired spies being targeted by the CIA was sleeper hit and was enjoyed by critics and audiences alike. A sequel was commissioned and we got an enjoyable enough continuation, even if critics did not like it.
Ex-CIA agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) and his girlfriend Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker) are living a quiet suburban life, even if Sarah is bored by it. After their friend Marvin (John Malkovich) fakes his own death, Frank ends up incarnated he becomes the target of Jack Horton (Neal McDonough), an American black-ops officer who has Carte Blanche to do anything he wants. Frank and Marvin soon finds out a document about a join British-American operation, Nightshade, a plot to smuggle a nuclear weapon into Moscow has been leaked onto Wikileaks and seen Frank, Marvin and Sarah are forced onto a mission around London, Paris and Moscow. On their tails is Horton, Han Cho-Bai (Byung-hun Lee), the world's best assassin and a Russian agent, Katya (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who easily changes sides.
RED 2 is not as good as the original film, but it is enjoyable and does not deserve some of the negative reaction it has received. RED 2 does go through some of the plot points of the first film and this is a sequel that feels it needs to be bigger, using a more international plot. RED 2 continues what works with the first film, Willis being a badass, Mirren doing awesome things with guns and Malkovich being wacky (but at least he is competent). The series also sees two good new additions, Zeta-Jones and Lee, thought Lee was underused.
One area of improvement is the villain. A problem with RED was the main villain played by Richard Dreyfuss was basically a very unsubtle Dick Cheney like character. Anthony Hopkins was an upgrade. The stakes were higher, his character was much more eccentric and he had much better motivation. Karl Urban does not return to the series, so McDonough came in his place. Urban had a better character because he was a man simply doing his job, but McDonough does make up for it when he is in full scumbag mode and Lee does offer a physical threat.
RED had a very simple premise of an old skool CIA agent being targeted for assassination by his old agency, leading him to show the new guys a lesson. RED 2 expands with many more factions at play, a black ops division of the American Intelligence system, MI6, the Russians and a freelance assassin. At times the film does struggle to give these characters the screen time they deserved, particularly Lee who was underused and it would have been better if he worked closer to the Americans. This is also a film that sees a number of potential international incidents that would throw the world into chaos if any of this stuff really did happen.
Like the original RED, RED 2 is a full out and out comedy, and offers more chuckles then full laughs. It is the action where RED 2 wins out, allowing Willis to do what he does best and we get shoot-outs, car chases and fist fights. There is a comic twist to the car chase in Paris as we get two cars chasing the same vehicle in Paris, even having a double reference of For Your Eyes Only and The Bourne Identity. There are also references to Mission Impossible III and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, even the plot of RED 2 has some similarities to MIGP. RED 2 does have solid shoot outs and car chases, but the fist fights are little too over edited.
Dean Parisot of Galaxy Quest fame takes over the directing duties from Robert Schwentke. Parisot is a strong replacement, he keeps RED 2 going at a fast pace even with the longer running time and keeps the same look of the first films, whilst being his own moments of flair, such as the use of comic book art.
RED 2 is a fun ride of a film and a solid continuation of a good predecessor. It delivers what you want, good action, Bruce Willis being Bruce Willis and offering us a light hearted romp. But I cannot see there being much room for a second sequel.
Ex-CIA agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) and his girlfriend Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker) are living a quiet suburban life, even if Sarah is bored by it. After their friend Marvin (John Malkovich) fakes his own death, Frank ends up incarnated he becomes the target of Jack Horton (Neal McDonough), an American black-ops officer who has Carte Blanche to do anything he wants. Frank and Marvin soon finds out a document about a join British-American operation, Nightshade, a plot to smuggle a nuclear weapon into Moscow has been leaked onto Wikileaks and seen Frank, Marvin and Sarah are forced onto a mission around London, Paris and Moscow. On their tails is Horton, Han Cho-Bai (Byung-hun Lee), the world's best assassin and a Russian agent, Katya (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who easily changes sides.
RED 2 is not as good as the original film, but it is enjoyable and does not deserve some of the negative reaction it has received. RED 2 does go through some of the plot points of the first film and this is a sequel that feels it needs to be bigger, using a more international plot. RED 2 continues what works with the first film, Willis being a badass, Mirren doing awesome things with guns and Malkovich being wacky (but at least he is competent). The series also sees two good new additions, Zeta-Jones and Lee, thought Lee was underused.
One area of improvement is the villain. A problem with RED was the main villain played by Richard Dreyfuss was basically a very unsubtle Dick Cheney like character. Anthony Hopkins was an upgrade. The stakes were higher, his character was much more eccentric and he had much better motivation. Karl Urban does not return to the series, so McDonough came in his place. Urban had a better character because he was a man simply doing his job, but McDonough does make up for it when he is in full scumbag mode and Lee does offer a physical threat.
RED had a very simple premise of an old skool CIA agent being targeted for assassination by his old agency, leading him to show the new guys a lesson. RED 2 expands with many more factions at play, a black ops division of the American Intelligence system, MI6, the Russians and a freelance assassin. At times the film does struggle to give these characters the screen time they deserved, particularly Lee who was underused and it would have been better if he worked closer to the Americans. This is also a film that sees a number of potential international incidents that would throw the world into chaos if any of this stuff really did happen.
Like the original RED, RED 2 is a full out and out comedy, and offers more chuckles then full laughs. It is the action where RED 2 wins out, allowing Willis to do what he does best and we get shoot-outs, car chases and fist fights. There is a comic twist to the car chase in Paris as we get two cars chasing the same vehicle in Paris, even having a double reference of For Your Eyes Only and The Bourne Identity. There are also references to Mission Impossible III and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, even the plot of RED 2 has some similarities to MIGP. RED 2 does have solid shoot outs and car chases, but the fist fights are little too over edited.
Dean Parisot of Galaxy Quest fame takes over the directing duties from Robert Schwentke. Parisot is a strong replacement, he keeps RED 2 going at a fast pace even with the longer running time and keeps the same look of the first films, whilst being his own moments of flair, such as the use of comic book art.
RED 2 is a fun ride of a film and a solid continuation of a good predecessor. It delivers what you want, good action, Bruce Willis being Bruce Willis and offering us a light hearted romp. But I cannot see there being much room for a second sequel.