'Red 2' film review.

'RED 2'

Director- Dean Parisot

Starring- Bruce Willis

John Malkovich

Mary-Louise Parker

Helen Mirren

Anthony Hopkins

They're waiting for the bus.

'RED', a complete and utter surprise, like 'Expendables' and 'Black Dynamite' this film came out of  nowhere and charmed audiences around the  world and became a cult hit. With witty dialogue, a stellar cast and ridiculous action set pieces which harked back to the glory days of the 80's. It was a film which didn't take itself too seriously and it was highly respected for that, in my opinion. I'm not here however to talk about 'RED', I'm here to watch delightful animated shorts and  review 'RED 2', and I just finished my last animated short.

Plot

Some time after the events of 'RED' we find ourselves with  ex CIA agent Frank Moses and his girlfriend Sarah Ross. Both of them are in a rut, mundane pedestrian life is slowly killing Sarah while Frank is adjusting quite nicely. Until of course Marvin shows up, and ruins the tranquil life they have built, which is okay because, and this  is my  honest opinion I don't think Frank and Sarah would have lasted much longer.

As the story  moves forward, Frank and Marv realise they are the targets of every contract killer in the world, which unfortunately includes the always dapper and sexy Helen Mirren aka Victoria Winslow. Marv explains to Frank that the only way to save themselves is to find the source of  their mutual problem and so plot unfolds.

Helen Mirren...say  what  you will but she is looking fine.

Good

Anthony Hopkins is  an absolute standout, his performance was above and beyond everyone else's. His character is seemingly simple but then he does a complete 180 and you feel absolutely bewildered by him. He could  have been easily cast away as the kooky mad scientist but instead he gave the role much more depth than I think the director even planned. The opening credit scene was fantastic, clearly trying to show that the franchise 'Red' was originally a comic book, the opening is a superb motion comic which ends all too abruptly. Byung Hun Lee also gives another note worthy performance in the shape of ultimate Korean contract killer Han Cho-Bai. He has one of the most unique introductions to a character I have ever seen. There is also an excellent beginning to the third act of the film but it doesn't ever feel fully realised and I was disappointed not to see more of that element of  the film.

Bad

A lot of the novelty has worn off since the last 'RED' film. I find Bruce Willis to be incredibly grating, his utterly calm demeanour completely bored me, he couldn't seem to emote anything other than mild ambivalence toward the events and people around him. Then there is Helen Mirren, all novelty of having this Oscar winning actor has completely worn off for me. With this role I saw no surprises coming,  everything she did was completely utterly predictable. Finally there was the action scenes, like most of  the characters in this film the action scenes were showing their age. When you have someone like Hyung Bun Lee in a film, ensure you utilize his vast array of skills and by that I mean his ridiculous methods of beating up someone. When Bruce Willis and Byung have their unavoidable show down it is over far too fast and there is no real pay-off.

Oh John Malkovich you crazy.....thing.

Ugly

This film lacked a lot of the charm of the original, with most of the characters coming off as annoying and/or jaded, looking at you Bruce Willis.

Rating; 5/10

You may have noticed I didn't mention Catherine Zeta Jones, that is all.