Never Too Old to Be Dangerous

Guest critique, and a wonderful friend, Casey R. Weber has agreed to write this review.  I figured he'd want to have some fun before (hold your applause please) he embarks on his new journey, the accelerated Masters and Teaching Credential program at the Calif. State University - Northridge.  G'luck matey.  The program is 18 months long and he has taken on 23 credit hours!  Now you can applause :)  Here's to Casey!

 

 

Bruce Willis, who performs as Frank Moses in "RED," has fulfilled the expectations of a modern-day action hero: tough, quick-witted, pre-determined, ultra-cool, and maybe even bald.  In the past, we focused on one-liners whereas today we concentrate on multiple lines that tickle us pink.  Thus, since the 80s, the experimentation of an ideal "action hero" continues to evolve.

In today's society, we accept that the retirement age has increased (though it's not universally accepted).  Moses, a former black-ops CIA agent, is a retiree to experiment with the idea of a simple life.  In actuality, he can't handle the pressure of sitting for a minute to relax.  So in essence, he requires some stimulation to explore the excitement to live up to the status of his operation name, RED, which stands for "Retired: Extremely Dangerous."  Although as humorous the acronym sounds, Moses proves that regardless of his age, he has the potential to compete against the general competition of CIA agents.  

Throughout the movie, Moses flirts with the young woman, Sarah Ross (acted by Mary-Louise Parker), who handles Moses' pension checks.  He realizes that the excitement will never dwindle, so he ends up getting into trouble with the crooks who work with the government--but of course, he did nothing wrong.  He meets with his old pals, Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman), Victoria (Helen Mirren), and Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich) along the course of the adventure.  I have to admit, I found Malkovich to be the funniest.  For some odd reason, he has these ridiculous facial expressions and body language that got me chuckling.

Perhaps most disappointing about the film is the excessive use of force that is deemed less relevant to the account of today's society.  For instance, how is it possible to be exceedingly knowledgeable considering the circumstances of the CIA vet's situation?  And even at his retirement age, how is it that he is more than capable calmly stepping out of the spinning car then shooting his rival whereas when they meet again, he gets his butt kicked like everybody else?  I feared that the idea of consistency came to question.

However, the movie gave me an analytical thought: back then, we see the retirees finish with their careers then watch their grandchildren grow, sit on the porches to enjoy the sunrise/sunset, and even traveling on a cruise.  Today, we feel the drive to accomplish something we've always wanted to do.  Michael Jordan said he came out of retirement to "scratch the itch" he had been carrying since retirement.  Lance Armstrong wanted to promote cancer awareness.  Steve Jobs came back because he had countless ideas to make cool gadgets.  In sum, like Moses, we may become retired, but we'll want to come back to something we truly enjoy.

Since the movie gave me some insights about the aforementioned aspects of life, I've become somewhat biased neither to appreciate nor groan in disgust.  I'd say the movie did capture my eye, but not in its entirety.  It did, however, give me an idea that you're never too old to be dangerous (or even achieve, for that matter).  

I'd rate this film 3 stars.