RED 2 - REVIEW

RED 2 - REVIEW

Mary Louise-Parker, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren and Bruce Willis all reprise there roles from the fun action packed joyride, Red, for the overplayed mediocre gung-ho sequel, Red 2.

The film reunites Retired C.I.A. agent Frank Moses with his unlikely team of elite operatives for a global quest to track down a missing portable nuclear device.

My biggest problem with this film is probably one of my biggest gripes with many sequel films, which is the fact that they are lazy and Red 2 is extremely lazy.

There are many potential avenues for a film like this to go and yet all that Red 2 is, is a rehash of the first film. Instead of getting a fresh film we get a retread of everything that was done with the first film. Many times in the film you will get a heavy dose of déjà vu, as the two films really are that close in terms of style and plot.

The film does have some fun moments, action madness that’s thrown together with some humour and even then, the film really tries to be its predecessor as opposed to its own film.

The approach of the film seems to be a tad bit nihilistic which doesn’t help it much as characters show a blatant disregard of there own sense of danger, trying to sell a joke at the wrong time. While it may work with others writers, directors and actors, it just seems to be distracting, as there never seems to be a sense of danger for any of the characters.

The cast of the film is probably the films biggest selling point with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Anthony Hopkins, Neal McDonough and Byung-hun Lee all joining the ranks this time around.

Its this blend of cast and characters that may certainly distract you from the fact that this film is quite derivative, as each new cast member plays a new character that you might find you like.

Catherine Zeta-Jones plays a Katja a Russian secret agent, who had a relationship with Bruce Willis’ character, Frank Moses. Jones has a lot of freedom with role as the character has many different facets about her; sexy, cunning, sincere, deceitful, loyal, deadly…

Byung-hun Lee is definitely proving to be one of the coolest kickass badass action Asian stars in recent times. Lee plays the top contract killer in the world, Han Cho-Bai, who he plays with such a calm demeanor. Hopefully this will lead to Lee gaining more roles in future as he certainly proves in this film that he has the charisma as well as fighting skills to become one badass action headliner star.

Red 2 is a lackluster sequel that takes all the same twist and turns as its predecessor and hardly does a good job at that. The storyline isn’t very good, some of the humour falls on its face but the action is good and cast of the film will certainly get your attention.

Red 2 really is a mediocre joy ride with an impeccable cast that will coheres your senses to keep watching while your brain slowly shifts into screensaver mode.    

My Rating

5/10

2 GUNS - REVIEW

2 GUNS - REVIEW

Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg team up to bring us a buddy cop action comedy that’s reminiscent of all the old good buddy cop films that we come to love. Its old school in its approach, with much of the film resting on the chemistry and charm between our two leads. 

The story revolves around DEA agent Bobby Trench (Denzel Washington) and U.S. Navy intelligence officer Marcus Stigman (Mark Wahlberg) who have been working under cover as members of a narcotics syndicate for the past year. The twist: Neither man knows that the other is an undercover agent. When their attempt to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel and recover millions goes haywire, their superiors disavow the men. Trench and Stigman must go on the run lest they wind up in jail or in a grave.

The plot of 2 Guns quickly gets convoluted and all twisted up with the navy, CIA, DEA and a Mexican Cartel all thrown into the mix for good measure. Each one is after the money for various reasons but when you spend more then a minute thinking about everything that has happened, some of it just doesn’t make sense.

Thankfully 2 Guns is really a film that doesn’t require you to put your thinking cap on. Instead the film is really just a set up to see Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg star in an action fest, with this marking the closest we will ever see Denzel to a comedy.

It’s really Wahlberg and Denzel’s chemistry that sells this film. Everything you love about a typical Wahlberg role, he manages to kick up a notch in 2 Guns, while Washington gets in a joke or two, its really sense of dry humour and interplay with Wahlberg that really make them a dynamic duo.

Paula Patton, James Marsden and Bill Paxton are the supporting players in the film, and they have just as much fun as our two leads.

Especially Bill Paxton, who plays a CIA agent hell-bent on getting the money back. Paxton plays the role with such swagger and yet he really is an intimidating force.  

James Marsden on the other hand, plays a Navy officer with a cool bravado while showing he has what it takes to be taken seriously as an action lead, playing the role with a physical intensity.

Overall the film is a fun comedic action romp with Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg proving to be worth the price of the admission ticket. 2 Guns proves to be a fun filled action film regardless of the fact that the plot and some characters needed a lot of work.

My Rating

6.5/10