Red (2008)

Red (2008)

No this isn't the Bruce Willis/Helen Mirren flick about retired assassins. Instead this is a hidden gem that probably never made it to a movie theatre near you. A story about a man and his dog, a dog that gets killed after a robbery that goes awry.

In any other Hollywood movie, such a plot would result in the old man (here played by Brian Cox) building up an arms cache before going all Rambo on those who wronged him. Instead we have a fairly realistic telling of a wronged man, trying to go through all the normal channels of trying to get justice for those who killed his dog. I liked the small town portrayal. It wasn't unrealistic of today's society and how even small towns can have bad apples. The youth portrayed in the film came across as types I knew as I am sure everyone knew in some capacity. You have the bad seed that is a crap-disturber because life is too good. He's never really been disciplined, knows no boundaries and is overly praised so basically sees no wrong to his ways. You have the younger brother who plays the the proverbial good kid mixed in with a bad lot because of direct association and knows that what they do is wrong but doesn't know how to change it. And you have the fringe kid that is really only a punk because of life's cards that were dealt to him.

Nothing new or groundbreaking, but played subtly enough to feel real here. Brian Cox, enjoyable in nearly everything he has ever done, is the old man who has plenty to be angry about but plays it with the patience of a monk.

The climax of the film can seem a little far fetched, but is kept reasonably plausible. The one thing that felt a bit off was Tom Sizemore's character as the father to the errant youth. At first he seems reasonable, sitting down and listening to Brian Cox's story of woe, and you can see that the father does not disbelieve the story and that his kids could be capable of such atrocity. But taking the word of his kids alone, he suddenly turns into a legal action threatening, gun toting a-hole. The turn from a complex character to a one dimensional one is a little abrupt and never really explored further to justify the turn.

The good: Brian Cox was great as the patient, subdued elderly man to whom you would totally expect and rationalize with if he suddenly went postal, but instead demonstrates the quiet rage that is unnerving to witness as you wish him to enact swift and well deserved justice.

The bad: Not much. Again it is a simple story, nothing ground breaking. Interesting as a one off. No performance was bad, and the pacing was decent enough.

Final thoughts: I appreciate having recorded this flick on the PVR. I read the synopsis and expected something much more contrived, but was actually happy with the realistic portrayals of the people in this small community.

Add to the vault: No. It may be a hidden gem, but I don't believe it warrants repeat viewing. I am honoured to have had the chance to appreciate it once and I would encourage you all to do the same, but one viewing is enough.