My primary reason for going to movies is to be entertained.  I don’t need the best acting in the world or the best script in the world — just something that, when all put together, entertains me for 1 1/2 — 2 hours.  I appreciate the heavy dramatic pieces, but I have found that as I have gotten older, I just want to laugh or enjoy some action or both.

I raced out of the closing credits of Life As We Know It to get into the theater for the midnight showing of RED.  I grabbed a refill of Coke on the way and got settled just as the previews started.

RED is based on a DC-Comics series about a retired CIA agent.  The movie’s plot line is simple: someone is targeting random people to be killed by CIA teams in order to cover up past dastardly deeds.  While offering an okay through-thread, the story has a lot of holes in it if looked at any closer than a casual glance.

What makes this movie is the casting.  Bruce Willis is our hero, with Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, and John Malkovich rounding out his team.  What stood out to me with this cast was the sheer joy you could see on their faces as they went from absurd situation to absurd situation.  Malkovich, in particular, had some of the best “crazy” moments.  Richard Dreyfuss, Karl Urban, Ernest Borgnine, and Mary-Louise Parker round out a great cast.

My Advice: see it at full price, leave brain at the door, and just enjoy a roller-coaster ride of actors having fun on-screen…