Reviews

The plot is not something that requires our full attention. As they say in the spy game, on a need-to-know basis, you don't need to know why John Malkovich and Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman and Bruce Willis and Brian Cox are running around blasting off many large guns. What matters is that they are, and they're having an awesome time doing it. You will, too: This breezy action comedy is a noisy affirmation that life goes on after 50, that retirement doesn't mean redundancy, and that nobody -- young or old -- can wear a long cream evening gown like Mirren.

By Amy Biancolli, from San Francisco Chronicle

Red's not going to get points for originality; we've seen "retired hitmen/ agents/ bodyguards/ fill in the blank with anyone who handled a gun as part of their job films" before. However, Red does succeed where other films of its ilk have failed by never playing sloppy with the story, even during its most over-the-top action scenes. Plus, Red's just plain fun. Another big point in its favor is that it's not aimed just at drawing in teens and young adults as so many action films are. This is an action comedy that should pull in older audiences and even, believe it or not, could be considered a decent date movie.

...

Fast-paced, well acted, and entertaining, Red's got a lot going for it. But at the top of the list of reasons to recommend seeing it has to be Dame Helen Mirren. 65 year old four-time Oscar nominee/one-time winner Helen Mirren carries a big gun and plows down bad guys as though she's been handling automatic weapons all of her life. That alone makes Red worth the price of a ticket.

By Rebecca Murray, from About.com