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Summer is generally a time for the young—a time for babes in bikinis and the hottest young stars in the biggest summer blockbusters. This summer, though, some of the hot young stars have been less than impressive—so you might want to spend some time with the retired action heroes of RED 2 instead.
The larger-than-life sequel follows retired black-ops agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) as his attempts to settle down with his girlfriend, Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker), fail miserably. Sarah misses the danger and excitement that brought them together—so when Frank’s friend, Marvin (John Malkovich), comes to them with his latest conspiracy theory, she’s eager to get back to the spy business.
Unfortunately, though, their mission isn’t a simple one. After Frank and Marvin are labeled nuclear terrorists for their alleged involvement in a decades-old secret mission, they set out to find a missing nuke and clear their name—all while being hunted by a pair of deadly assassins.
Like the 2010 original, RED 2 is another stylized adventure, with plenty of graphic novel action and a solid sense of humor. At no point in the story does it take itself too seriously. Quite the contrary, in fact. From start to finish, it’s playfully over-the-top, with comical car chases and epically overcooked shootouts.
The real highlight of the film, though, is its remarkable cast. Willis may not be getting any younger, but he’s still as tough as ever—and he makes Frank the perfect mix of cool and curmudgeon. Still, his timeless tough-guy style can’t quite compete with the sheer entertainment value of Malkovich and Helen Mirren, who once again stand out for very different reasons: he because he’s just so outrageously hilarious, she because she’s so stylishly violent.
The story, however, doesn’t always hit its target. Though the set-up is an interesting one, it isn’t developed particularly well. There are parts that are entirely unnecessary (like Catherine Zeta-Jones’s entire storyline). And while the constant twists and turns do allow the action to travel from Paris to London to Moscow (with some other stops along the way), the constant movement breaks up the film’s flow, making it feel a bit choppy—like one little snippet of adventure after another. To be fair, the film is based on a graphic novel, so it gets its episodic style of storytelling honestly. But it gets frustrating after a while—especially after a couple of false conclusions.
As long as you can overlook the choppy, rambling plot, though, RED 2 is just the kind of fun-filled adventure that makes it worth taking a break from your outdoor summer activities to enjoy a couple of action-packed hours in a dark, air-conditioned movie theater.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
