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Moses and his captive are on the run. Before the first half hour of the film is out, he’s visiting an old friend of his - evidently an ex-CIA man who currently lives in a retirement home. (he’s played by Morgan Freeman.) The story that emerges is that Moses has been labeled “Retired - Extremely Dangerous” by the CIA. When the agent identified to assassinate him discovers that Moses was a field agent and NOT an analyst, things get vaguely interesting, but any of the deeper aspirations of the original story don’t seem to have made the transfer to the screen. This is a solid, well-executed espionage thriller, but it lacks any depth or inspiration. Some rather talented actors play retired CIA agents - Helen Mirren, John Malkovich and the aforementioned Morgan Freeman - but the film isn’t much beyond their efforts.

From camerawork to lighting to every other aspect of the look of the film, Red ends up feeling like a made for TV thriller - something of a pleasant cross between an early episode of Moonlighting and something from the first two seasons of Alias. It’s not an altogether unpleasant treatment of the concept, but it lacks in any real depth.

The Verdict

The original comic book lacked the kind of stylish finesse that would have leant any decent impact to the darkness of the script, but it had enough depth to make it worth the effort. The film departs from the darkness of the comic book considerably, preferring a far more polished Hollywood action film. The usual sort of humor that goes along with the standard contemporary action film makes the Red enjoyable, but aside from some rather interesting performances by some talented older actors, the film lacks any real inspiration.

Neither the film nor the comic book are particularly memorable, but the original inspiration behind the comic book seems to have come from a desire to take a glance at the darkness behind US foreign policy - not a bad idea as things progress into the next century. By contrast, the film is a silly Hollywood action film with no aspirations beyond simple entertainment. It's fun, but largely inconsequential.

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