4 out of 5

Director: Robert Schwentke

Red is exactly what it wants to be, and exactly what it should be – a light-hearted but bloody, funny but still story-driven tale of ex-CIAers getting tagged for being taken out for reasons initially unknown. The main two characters here, and suppliers of a sub-plot that serves to spur on the interactions and story, are Bruce Willis as Frank Moses and Mary-Louise Parker as his love interest. Thankfully this story is kept cute and sensible, and isnt weighed down by a pointless epilogue or any drawn out moments. The focus is mostly on the big Why of the story and how the characters are going to deal with it. Director Robert Schwentke stays true to the quick pace and violence of the comic but smartly ditches the heavy-handedness of Ellis writing for the more comedic tone. This is not at the sacrifice of action, however – the action scenes are directed beautifully, with some really interesting camera work and effective sound mixing. Red isnt the best thing ever, but its a more mature Oceans 11 that doesnt try pretend to be more than the quick pleasure it is.