Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence and brief strong language.
Starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban and John Malkovich
Directed by Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler’s Wife and Flightplan)
Frank (Bruce Willis), Joe (Morgan Freeman), Marvin (John Malkovich), and Victoria (Helen Mirren) used to be the CIA’s top agents — but the secrets they know just made them the Agency’s top targets. Now framed for assassination, they must use all of their collective cunning, experience and teamwork to stay one step ahead of their deadly pursuers and stay alive. To stop the operation, the team embarks on an impossible, cross-country mission to break into the top-secret CIA headquarters, where they will uncover one of the biggest conspiracies and cover-ups in government history.
Red is based on a DC Comic…and that may be the most important piece of information as you sit down to watch this film. So what does that mean? Well you need check your brain at the door, pop some popcorn and just enjoy all the ridiculousness.
Unfortunately director Robert Schwentke doesn’t take that same approach. Instead he tries to find a balance between the ridiculous and serious. For example, that first home invasion is shot like a typical action sequence, but it’s bookended by a lot of goofiness. And when it brings up torture, terrorism and assassination of US leaders – it loses its bearings. I wish he would have picked one direction and gone with it.
It also suffers from being yet another movie in the wake of Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull and The Expendables, about an aging hero suiting up one more time to save the day. For years, Hollywood has been trying to figure out what to do with its aging action stars. The answer, it turns out, is simple: cast aging action heroes as aging action heroes. Now that Governor Schwarzenegger is about to step down…he just may be back.
That aging cast doesn’t take themselves too seriously and neither should you. I mean seriously, Helen Mirren with a machine gun?? That’s just fun…and worth the Rental.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
The PG-13 rating is for intense sequences of action violence and brief strong language…this one should be fine for teenagers.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
Q: What’s the message/theme of this movie?
A: In the film, Frank and Joe were involved in a secret operation to extract someone from Guatemala back in 1981. Everyone else involved is being killed and Frank and Joe are next on the list. They find out that the person extracted from the village in Guatemala is none other than Vice President Robert Stanton, who back then had suffered a mental breakdown and had massacred the entire village. Now he wants to eliminate them so no one finds out.
Q: How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
A: So maybe we’ve never massacred an entire village and maybe none of us have killed a handful of people to cover it up, but we have all sinned. And many times that sin is private and we want to keep it that way.
But scripture says, “you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23). And just like in the movie, when it does it is much worse than if we just deal with it from the start.
Q: How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
A: Instead of hiding our sin and trying to cover it up (which usually involves lying and more sin) we need to confess it. And know that God will forgive us. (If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9)
