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This would have been a hell of a cast when we were all younger. “RED” plays like a movie made for my Aunt Mary, who was always complaining, “Honey, I don't like the pictures anymore because I don't know who any of the actors are.” If the name Ernest Borgnine sounds familiar, here's the movie for you.

Borgnine at 93 is still active and has a project “in development,” I learn from IMDb, even if it's ominously titled “Death Keeps Coming.” Says here it's a supernatural Western being produced by Tarantino. Borgnine himself is a heck of a guy. I flew out of Cartagena with him one morning with a terrible hangover, and we got stranded in some forgotten Colombian airport where he fed me aspirin crushed in milk. An actor like that is a role model.

Bruce Willis stars in “RED,” which refers to his alert level (“retired: extremely dangerous”) and not his hair. He's a former CIA agent, a black operative, who discovers bad guys want to kill him. So he summons the members of his old killing squad, and they prepare a defense. The team includes Joe Matheson ( Morgan Freeman ), Marvin Boggs ( John Malkovich ), Victoria ( Helen Mirren ) and Ivan ( Brian Cox ).

Some notes: Victoria requires no second name because she is a woman in a thriller; Ivan is a Russian, because the Russian in every thriller is named Ivan; Malkovich may have taken the role because he is never considered for characters named Boggs, and Freeman reveals early that he is dying of liver cancer. We know that as the black member of the team he must die first, “because that's how he would have wanted it.”

So once again poor Morgan Freeman is hung out to dry. He'd rather play the villain. As he once explained to me: “The villain is usually the most interesting character in the movie, and one thing you know is, he'll still be around for the last scene.”

In addition to his old comrades, Bruce takes along Sarah Ross ( Mary-Louise Parker ), a telephone operator at the agency that oversees his retirement plan. He's fallen in love with her voice. He explains she has to go on the run with him because her life is in danger. Like any federal employee, she finds this reasonable. Her life will be much safer with a man who is the target of thousands of rounds of automatic weapon fire. The villains in thrillers are such bad shots they'd suck at video games.

The bad guys are in the upper reaches of the CIA, and the conspiracy reaches all the way to a vice president with connections to a huge private defense contractor. This man is played by Richard Dreyfuss , who subtly signals to us, “You only think this is my Dick Cheney imitation, but if the studio let me loose, I could nail this role.” Are sinister Dick Cheney roles growing uncommonly frequent? Hollywood is always fearful of running out of villains and, having run through Russians, Chinese, Nazis and Mongols, seems to have fallen upon poor Cheney with relief.

“RED” is neither a good movie nor a bad one. It features actors we like doing things we wish were more interesting. I guess the movie's moral is, these old people are still tougher than the young ones. You want tough? I'll show you tough. In one scene, Helen Mirren is gut-shot and a blood stain spreads on her white dress. In a closing scene not a day later, she's perfectly chipper and has had time to send the dress out to the cleaners.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film Credits

Rated PG-13 characters look like they need a cigarette

111 minutes

Bruce Willis as Frank Moses

Morgan Freeman as Joe Matheson

John Malkovich as Marvin Boggs

Helen Mirren as Victoria

Karl Urban as William Cooper

Mary-Louise Parker as Sarah Ross

Brian Cox as Ivan Simanov

Rebecca Pidgeon as Cynthia Wilkes

Ernest Borgnine as Records Keeper

James Remar as Gabriel Singer

Richard Dreyfuss as Alexander Dunning

Directed by

• Robert Schwentke

Screenplay by

• Erich Hoeber

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Dolph Lundgren (Cpt. Matt Hendricks) Meilani Paul (Dr. Linda Christian) Aleksandr Kuznetsov (Kretz) Natalie Radford (Nadia) Randolph Mantooth (Admiral Edwards) Neal Matarazzo (Lt. Matarazzo) Tony Becker (Lt. Jack Colson) Steve Eastin (Captain Russerl) Allan Kolman (Ziggy) Larry Carroll (Newscaster)

Captain Matt Hendricks and Dr. Linda Christian are locked in a submarine with Russian terrorists that threaten to launch a chemical virus on US territory.

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‘Red Notice’ Review: When the Stars Don’t Shine

This globe-trotting heist thriller starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot is yet another vacant bid at franchise creation.

• Share full article

‘Red Notice’ | Anatomy of a Scene

Rawson marshall thurber narrates a sequence from his film..

“Hi, I’m Rawson Marshall Thurber. I’m the writer/director of Red Notice.” “He knows what he’s doing.” “Red Notice opens with John Hartley, an FBI profiler played by Dwayne Johnson, arriving at the Castle Sant’Angelo Museum to try to stop Nolan Booth, played by Ryan Reynolds, from stealing a priceless egg. So John Hartley has come in, and he’s realized that this egg is probably not the real one. And he decides to prove it by grabbing a nearby soda and pouring it on top of the egg and watching as the egg melts in front of his eyes. And the moment he does, he spots Nolan Booth, Ryan Reynolds, take off. And that begins our chase. I wanted to start the movie off with a bang, and I thought a foot chase through the museum might be a fun way to do it. Because of some of the restrictions put on us from the pandemic, we couldn’t leave Atlanta. So we had to build the entire museum on a soundstage in Atlanta. We had an incredible production design team led by Andy Nicholson, Academy Award nominee. And he and his team built the entire museum inside. And if you watch the sequence, Ryan and Dwayne chase each other through hallways. And oftentimes what we would do is have them run through one hallway, and then overnight, we would change it over to look like a different hallway, and they’d run back the other way. And if you didn’t know it, you wouldn’t know it. It’s part of movie magic. So we kept reusing the sets over and over, rebuilding them, redressing them, and got ourselves a pretty cool foot chase to start things off. On top of which, we wanted to add some dynamic camera movement to the opening chase. So not only were we in a handheld mode, but we also added a piece of technology that is not used very often. We used a tiny little camera called a Komodo Cam, created by the Red Digital camera system. And it’s about the size of a tissue box, and we attached that camera to a race drone. And we chased Ryan and Dwayne through our sets as they ran hither and thither, and it got us some pretty great shots. As you’ll see, certainly when Ryan comes into the big scaffolding room and he goes running and jumps over the table, the camera that follows him and chases him all the way up onto the scaffolding is our Komodo Cam, our race drone operated by the world renowned Johnny FPV I wanted the chase to be fun. I wanted it to be fast. I wanted to show Ryan’s character, Nolan Booth, that he’s someone who out-thinks problems. He would rather trick you than try to punch you. And so what I liked about the scaffolding sequence is that Nolan Booth never throws a punch. Ryan never throws a punch. He’s bobbing and weaving, ducking and dodging and using his wits to outsmart the security guards trying to chase him. And to me, that’s much more fun than simply pulling out a gun and shooting at people. We had a great stunt team that started to design the actual sequence in terms of the pratfalls and the gags. At the end of the sequence, Ryan pulls a final pin, and the entire scaffolding collapses. What we had to do is, of course, shoot every single piece of it before we collapsed the scaffolding. And then overnight, our special effects team and rigging technicians set the scaffolding to blow and fall. And then you set up about eight or nine cameras, because you really only want to do this once. And then everybody gets safe, and on the count of three, they hit the button, and the whole thing collapses. And we got it in one take.”

By Beatrice Loayza

At some point between Dwayne Johnson’s early years as a pro-wrestler and his rise to becoming one of the highest-paid actors in the biz today, something about him fizzled out. The action star rose because of his cocky charm and the ease with which he imparted a leonine intensity, shifting to softy mode at the drop of a hat. When Hollywood began relying increasingly on green screens, Johnson stood out, larger-than-life, against muddy digital backdrops of crumbling cities and candy-colored jungles. Yet I find myself missing the days when his eyebrows did all the work.

Case in point: “Red Notice,” the actor’s latest collaboration with the writer and director Rawson Marshall Thurber (“Skyscraper,” “Central Intelligence”). In this Netflix adventure movie about cops and art thieves in search of a rare treasure, Johnson goes through the motions with none of the pizazz. He’s practically dead-eyed, as if his soul has been sapped by the corporate overlords who roll out mediocrity after mediocrity with his name on the marquee. Our eyes gravitate toward him, though lately only for one good reason: he’s massive. Cue a completely out-of-the-blue face-off with a raging bull. (Yes this happens.)

Thing is, we already know he’s the biggest and toughest there ever was. Johnson knows this as well. His unwillingness to break with this persona has begun to feel played out, not least of all because he seems bored doing it.

In the film, Johnson plays John Hartley, an FBI profiler forced to team up with the expert art thief Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds) when he is framed by “The Bishop” (Gal Gadot), a rival art thief with a penchant for sabotage. Together they form a triumvirate of stereotypes: the lawful strongman, the cunning jester and the femme fatale. Constant rug-pullings complicate this equation, though not in any genuinely surprising ways — the performances are too sleepy and perfunctory to pull off the film’s many tricks and double-crossings with any flair or umph. And then there’s the script, which turns Reynolds into a cursed generator of lame quips. Listen closely and you might even hear notes of regret in his delivery.

The plot involves an Indiana Jones-style race to track down and possess Cleopatra’s three golden eggs. In Rome, Booth outmaneuvers Hartley after a mad dash through an art museum, though fate catches up to him in Bali. The two become buddies in a Russian prison and eventually head to a gala in Valencia, then an underground lair in a South American jungle.

But globe-trotting loses all its fun when everything looks plastic. And for a heist movie seemingly planting the seeds for a franchise in the vein of “The Mummy” or “National Treasure” movies, there’s no sense of discovery, no anticipatory thrills as our heroes find and connect the clues. Uninterested in world building or creating any sense of stakes, “Red Notice” is merely an expensive brandishing of star power — only the stars haven’t got it in them.

Red Notice Rated PG-13 for bloodless violence, action, and sexual references. Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes. Watch on Netflix.

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Where to watch

2000 Directed by Jim Wynorski , Damian Lee

Matt Hendricks is the US Navy's top Marine Special Operations Commander and is facing his toughest challenge yet - escorting the deadliest viral weapon on the planet back to a secure storage facility.

Dolph Lundgren Tony Becker Meilani Paul Natalie Radford Randolph Mantooth Alexander Kuznetsov Steve Eastin Allan Kolman Neal Matarazzo Larry Carroll Robert Donavan Melissa Brasselle Steve Franken Lenny Juliano Stephen Macht William Langlois Peter Spellos Andrew Stevens Cole S. McKay Eric Lawson Hayley Sanchez

Directors Directors

Jim Wynorski Damian Lee

Producers Producers

Jim Wynorski Damian Lee Alison Semenza

Writers Writers

Kevin Bernhardt Damian Lee

Casting Casting

Jeff Gerrard

Editor Editor

Joel T. Pashby

Cinematography Cinematography

Assistant director asst. director.

Franklin A. Vallette

Executive Producer Exec. Producer

Alan B. Bursteen

Production Design Production Design

Steve Ralph

Art Direction Art Direction

David Riggs

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Yvette Taylor

Stunts Stunts

Julie Michaels Jennifer Badger

Costume Design Costume Design

Joyce Westergaard Gini Kramer

Makeup Makeup

Marjolein Hermans

Phoenician Entertainment Captured Productions Inc. Franchise Pictures

Releases by Date

13 sep 2000, 10 apr 2001, releases by country.

• Physical 16

95 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by night_shift ★★ 1

I live posted my reaction to this on Threads and it seriously took my sleep-deprived dumbass until the end to realize I'd been calling Dolph Lundgren JCVD. So I guess, take that into consideration?

But yeah, just your typical nuclear-type sub action thing. With Dolph and an ex he wins back by the end and truly ridiculous science/military references. It was silly and I laughed aloud a few times. Deff a boom/bang sorta shut your brain off flick.

¡¡Spring Forward Into A Trash Fire 2024!! 65 - Watch a Jim Wynorski action movie.

Review by SubToretto ★ 2

Everyone in this is delivering their lines like they are reading them on cue-cards while being held at gunpoint, while also not being that bothered by guns. Dolph seems like they edited out his yawns and sighs bookending every sentence.

➡️ Masters of Schlock & Awe #5 - Jim Wynorski

The villains have some of the worst Russian accents I’ve ever heard and they all seem like third-rate goons so never come across as a threat worthy of Dolph. Not that the mighty Dolph gets to be that impressive himself; he barely succeeds as an action hero or at looking cool. This is down to the soulless composition of the action in what seems like the same stretch of pipe and walkways,…

Review by PetersMovyLogs ★★★ 2

I wouldn't really call this a good movie, but it certainly wasn't horrible either. Or rather, I've seen a lot worse 😆 I had a decent time with it and it kept my attention. It was a decent time waster 😁 It did start to feel a bit long by the last 20 minutes or so though.

The footage splicing is pretty bad 😆

"Ever heard of Agent Red?" "Sounds like a bad action movie..." 😂 That's an actual line in the movie from Lundgren!

Hey! Melissa Brasselle & Peter Spellos! I keep running across them this year! This was even a total impulse watch while browsing Tubi this morning! Strange...

There's random scenes of slow-mo out of nowhere, it is as noticeably odd to me...

I liked the lighting used in the submarine scenes 👍

Review by Film_Sammlung ★½ 2

Unterwasserchaos mit Histo und Justus "Sagt ihnen Agent Red etwas?" "Klingt nach einem schlechtem Action Film würde ich sagen."

Als würde man einen gleich am Anfang des Films zurechtweisen denn diese Dialogzeile fast den Film schon perfekt zusammen.

Ein amerikanisches Atom-U-Boot wird von den Russen gekapert, um den titelgebenen Kampfstoff gegen New York und Moskau einzusetzen. Die Politiker sind machtlos, doch zum Glück ist Cpt. Matt Hendricks an Board, der es mit den Bösewichten aufnimmt.

Wenn der ursprüngliche Regisseur gefeuert wird und Jim Wynorski in 3 Tagen ca. 40 % des Films neudreht weiß man schon, was hier auf einen zukommt.

Geklaut wird wie üblich aus den großen Vorbildern egal ob Explosiv - Blown Away, Crimson Tide - In tiefster…

Review by K. Axel ½ 2

I am quite frankly too shook up right now to write a proper review. This movie is incredibly offensive and honestly... the terrorists are the only human element and guess what happens to them...

Consider this a placeholder for a proper rant later on.

Review by Kyle ★★½

"Have you heard of Agent Red?"

"Sounds like a bad action movie."

Aw c'mon give yourself more credit than that. This movie isn't bad, it's not good either. Agent Red is a virus created by the US that was stolen by the Russians. Dolph's Matt Hendricks is tasked with getting it back. It's just very generic and way too much exposition. They try to give some Die Hard personality with the radio communication between Lundgren's character and the main bad guy but it just doesn't really help.

Check out my Lundgren ranked list here:  letterboxd.com/kylejunt/list/action-movies-of-dolph-lundgren-ranked/

Review by Justus_ ★★

So kenne ich meine Lundgren Filme.

Langweilig, lieblos, schlechtes Handwerk und klischeehaft. Das einzige wirklich gute war der Metawitz über den Titel.

Review by Steven Millan ★½

Phoenician Entertainment,the cut-and-paste(from larger budgeted action films) Straight-To-VHS video/DVD company that was backed by Fred Olen Ray,Jim Wynorski,and Andrew Stevens from the late 90s to the early 00s/2000s,scored a major victory when they were able to recruit Dolph Lundgren(THE EXPENDABLES,JOHNNY MNEMONIC) for this dull and stale U.S./Canadian underwater actioner that has Lundgren as a navy officer who is aboard a large submarine that is carrying a dangerous viral weapon to a remote storage base,only to find out that not only is his estranged ex-girlfriend(Meilani Paul[THE PROPHET'S GAME,THE CORPORATE LADDER]) aboard the submarine but that a heavily armed group of Russian terrorists have taken overt he sub that drives Lundgren into action against them.

Originally conceived as a completely different actioner…

Review by HistoBrot ★

#Watchparty mit Filmsammlung und Justus.

Film Nummer zwei würde sich wünschen eine Qualität von Videothekenmüll erreichen zu können.

Wahrlich Lundgren!

Review by Marty McKee ★½

AGENT RED is the kind of movie where a submarine commander wistfully imagines the beautiful sunsets he and his wife will experience as soon as he finishes this last mission before retirement, and you immediately begin pouring one out for him in advance. It’s also the kind of movie where the star, Dolph Lundgren, says that the name of the MacGuffin sounds like a bad action movie — dialogue that only occurs in bad movies.

AGENT RED is indeed a bad movie and also a very sloppy movie. It is spliced together with reshoots and stock footage and the bare semblance of a plot credited solely to director Damian Lee (SKI SCHOOL). Lundgren is stuck about a U.S. Navy submarine…

Review by Matthew Rice ★½

Sometimes you’re just in the mood for a cheap, cheesy direct-to-video action film. This isn’t that film - not enough action and way too much plot which isn’t even interesting enough to distract you from all the stock footage used from other movies. Some moments are definitely bad enough to elicit a laugh but not enough.

Review by LM_ ★

General Stillwell: “Never heard of the Agent Red”? Matt Hendricks: “It sounds like a bad action movie”.

Sums it up nicely.

Although it’s one thing to know you’re making a bad action film. It’s another thing to make a flat b-action film outside of the few satirical, and oddly placed sexual innuendo dialogues.

Supposedly Jim Wynorski was brought in to direct new scenes after producer Andrew Stevens wasn’t happy with director Damian Lee’s final product. Believing it was too inept to release in its original form. Makes you wonder.

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Common sense media reviewers.

Well-cast action comedy is entertaining -- but very violent.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The movie's message -- that senior citizens are st

Sarah trusts Frank enough to help him uncover the

Lots of violence and a high body count. Once the p

Hand-holding, a couple of passionate kisses and em

Words like "s--t," "bitch," and "a--hole" are used

Mostly cars like Volvo and and the Chevy Tahoe, as

Adult characters drink socially and do shots of vo

Parents need to know that while this graphic novel-based action comedy is rated PG-13, its violence -- which is comparable to movies like Casino Royale and The Bourne Identity (also PG-13s) definitely approaches R-rated levels of intensity. The action sequences may be accompanied by plenty of laughs, but…

Positive Messages

The movie's message -- that senior citizens are still vibrant and useful -- is a worthwhile take-away in our youth-obsessed culture. Although there are some obvious conspiracy-theory messages about defense contractor firms and the government, overall the story is about retirees you wouldn't want to mess with. On the downside, the way that Frank and Sarah's relationship starts (with him drugging and abducting her -- with the goal being to rescue her) is pretty iffy.

Positive Role Models

Sarah trusts Frank enough to help him uncover the truth. Frank embarks on a fact-finding mission to clear his name and save himself and his friends from being murdered; another character selflessly agrees to sacrifice himself to ensure that the mission can go forward. Marvin overcomes his fears to join the RED team.

Violence & Scariness

Lots of violence and a high body count. Once the protagonist is first ambushed, barely a scene passes in which people aren't trying to kill or not be killed. People are shot to death, blown up (quite vividly), stabbed, hanged, and burned. Severed fingers are shown, and a couple of scenes include bloodied characters (especially when shot) and heavily bruised ones. Weapons include everything from everyday office supplies to rocket-propelled guns, and you'd probably need a military background to identify everything in between.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Hand-holding, a couple of passionate kisses and embraces, and one early scene in which a female character undresses down to her slip. One character stares at a woman's bottom. Two characters' romantic relationship begins when one ties the other up and drugs her as part of a rescue.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Words like "s--t," "bitch," and "a--hole" are used infrequently; one "f--k." Also "hell," "damn," "ass," "goddamn," and "oh my God."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Mostly cars like Volvo and and the Chevy Tahoe, as well as an older Chevrolet sedan.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Adult characters drink socially and do shots of vodka in a couple of scenes. There's also a reference to the many years that Marvin was given LSD as part of a military experiment. One character drugs another as part of an abduction/rescue -- the drugged character makes a reference to feeling "high" when she wakes up.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that while this graphic novel-based action comedy is rated PG-13, its violence -- which is comparable to movies like Casino Royale and The Bourne Identity (also PG-13s) definitely approaches R-rated levels of intensity. The action sequences may be accompanied by plenty of laughs, but the body count is high and the weapons military-grade. On the plus side, there's no overt sexuality, and the language is standard issue for the rating ("s--t," "bitch," "a--hole," etc.). Teens will also take away the positive message that senior citizens can still "kick butt"; it's good for kids to realize that the elderly aren't all meek and frail -- most of them had long (and in this case exciting) careers before they retired. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (17)
• Kids say (42)

Based on 17 parent reviews

A movie for old people with perverted, meaningless lives. Hugely disappointing.

An generic action/comedy movie with lots of guns and shooting, what's the story.

Retired black-ops agent Frank Moses ( Bruce Willis ) routinely calls into the government's pension office specifically to talk to customer-service rep Sarah ( Mary-Louise Parker ), who handles his account. Just as he's preparing to visit her, Frank is ambushed by a hit team -- but he goes to see her anyway, in case whoever's following him is onto her. He ends up having to tie her up to rescue her -- and then goes to his old friend/fellow agent, Joe ( Morgan Freeman ), for help. After uncovering a hit list of agents who all worked on a particularly sensitive op, Frank and Sarah enlist fellow retirees Marvin ( John Malkovich ) and Victoria ( Helen Mirren ) to join their team of RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous) agents to track down the higher-ups who've ordered the killings. Meanwhile, they must also evade ambitious CIA agent Wiliam Cooper ( Karl Urban ), who's in charge of eliminating Moses and his crew.

Is It Any Good?

Willis and the gang are clearly having a blast playing off of each other. Parker has remarkable comic timing, infusing lines like "Well I was hoping you'd have hair" (to Willis) with a style that actresses half her age can't muster. Mirren is equally as delightful, lobbing zingers like "If you hurt him, I'll kill you and bury your body in the woods" so well that you don't know whether to cringe or laugh. And when Malkovich asks, "Can I kill him now ?" it's like an impatient small child pleading for his dessert, and the resulting humor is infectious. The supporting cast does well, too. Brian Cox , one of those chameleonic actors who can play a Russian spy in Red as easily as King Lear, always adds value to an ensemble, and he doesn't disappoint. And Urban, who was Dr. McCoy in Star Trek , should be cast in action films more often. He's got a steely look and a powerful charisma that works whether he's straight-laced as in Red or bad-boy like The Bourne Supremacy . But he's the young 'un, and this movie definitely belongs to the over-55 actors, all of whom prove that with age comes a mastery of craft that, with the right script is, as Sarah would say, "awesome."

Unlike the rough-and-tumble stars of ensemble action movie The Expendable s (which Willis graced with a small cameo), all of Willis' retired secret-op friends in RED are played by Academy Award winners or nominees. That makes a huge difference in the expectation and delivery of performances. It's unthinkable that Jason Statham or Dolph Lundgren would take on Shakespearean adaptations, but within context of this movie, Malkovich, Freeman, and even Mirren are all quite believable as government operatives who've spent their careers tracking down and assassinating people. How wonderful that a movie in which the youngest actor, Urban, is 38, and the oldest, Ernest Borgnine , is 93, could be so thrilling and funny that you never once miss the busty or hunky eye-candy that usually appears in action films.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the movie's violence . Does the humor that accompanies it affect its impact? How does it compare to the violence in other action movies you've seen?

What are the movie's messages about romance, adventure, and loneliness? What do you think of the way that Frank and Sarah's relationship starts?

What major differences are there between Red and other action movies? Is it just the age of the cast?

How do the "retirees" defy stereotypes in this movie? Does it make you rethink how you treat senior citizens?

Movie Details

• In theaters : October 15, 2010
• On DVD or streaming : January 25, 2011
• Cast : Bruce Willis , Helen Mirren , John Malkovich , Morgan Freeman
• Director : Robert Schwentke
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Black actors
• Studio : Summit Entertainment
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Run time : 111 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : intense sequences of action violence and brief strong language
• Last updated : December 15, 2023

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Agent Red (2000)

Genre: action, duration: 98 minuten, alternative title: captured, country: canada / united states, directed by: damian lee, stars: dolph lundgren , meilani paul and alexander kuznetsov, imdb score: 3,3  (1.314), releasedate: 13 september 2000.

This movie is not available on UK streaming services.

Agent Red plot

Now that the Cold War is over, the Russian government decides to return a deadly biological weapon to the United States from which they stole it. Officer Hendricks has been ordered to escort the weapon to America via submarine. En route, however, the submarine is hijacked by terrorists in an attempt to carry out a biological attack on New York and Moscow.

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Matt Hendricks

Lt. Jack Colson

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Admiral Edwards

Captain Russert

Lt. Matarazzo

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Red Notice Review

05 Nov 2021

Ironically for a movie that’s all about twists, turns, cons and double-crosses, Rawson Marshall Thurber ’s Red Notice is rather lacking in surprises. And we mean that in the nicest possible way.

Story-wise it is a patchwork pastiche of To Catch A Thief , Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Bond, with a bit of National Treasure and Raiders Of The Lost Ark thrown in for good measure (Ryan Reynolds even whistles the Raiders theme at one point). Featuring a frantic museum foot-chase, a prison break from a mountain-top fortress, and a hi-tech heist at an überswanky villains’ masked ball, it hits all the spy/crime-caper/archaeological-adventure beats you’d expect.

Meanwhile, its main selling point is the charismasplosive double act of Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds , and neither deviates even a micron from his long-established and widely beloved on-screen persona. As the wrongfully accused art-crime-specialist fed, Johnson is steadfast and serious, hiding a big, warm heart beneath those bigger, hard pecs. Reynolds riffs and wisecracks as the glib thief, tossing around probably improv’d one-liners, often delivered at comedy-whisper level. Occasionally, they loosen the bromantic banter (served with an eye-rolling side-order of daddy-issue confiding) to make way for Gal Gadot as wily antagonist The Bishop. But while she’s always seemingly a step ahead of them and clearly more capable, Gadot remains a supporting player amid all the film’s globetrotting antics, only popping up every now and again to mess with their plans and join in a set-piece. This is firmly The Dwayne ’N’ Ryan Show.

Though flawed, *Red Notice* is a solid blast of lightweight fun.

So it’s very familiar territory, whether you’re a fan of the genre or the stars. Thanks to those stars’ incredible likeability, it’s comfort-viewing primarily, with Johnson and Reynolds bickering and battling in a variety of exotic locations, including Rome, Bali, Valencia, and a jungle (Johnson’s sixth now?) in Argentina. Despite reaching for Bond/Indy-like levels of international activity, however, the film suffers from a visually unexciting sense of being soundstage-bound and wrapped in green screens. It’s packed with visual effects and they really do show, from ersatz explosions to a few obvious digital doubles which have no truck with the laws of gravity. This creates a level of artificiality which significantly lowers the stakes, making it feel like less a world-spanning adventure than a knockabout in a really expensive playground.

Writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber is a better maker of comedies ( Dodgeball , We’re The Millers ) than he is action movies (the Johnson-fronted Skyscraper ), so it’s as a comedy that Red Notice works best. And given this is his third collaboration with The Rock (the first being another kinetic buddy pic, Central Intelligence ), he knows how to get the best out of his big leading man. Which is to just let him get on with doing what everyone loves him doing — while teaming him up with someone who’s also left to play to his strengths. Though flawed, Red Notice is at least a solid blast of lightweight fun. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

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Movies | 03 11 2021

"Red Hot Action"

What You Need To Know:

(BB, PP, C, ACap, LL, VV, A, DD, M) Strong moral worldview with some strong patriotic content in plot about the CIA being used for a political cover-up but the average CIA agent is the good guy not the bad guy, family is extolled and Christmas is referenced, but the positive worldview is minimized by some questionable elements such as threats from lead good guy trying to get a CIA agent to believe his story and vaguely anti-capitalist subplot where defense contractor is an illegal arms dealer; 17 obscenities (including a few “h” words, three “s” words and one “f” word), five strong profanities (one borderline) and three light profanities; plenty of strong action violence includes men with guns shoot up house and car, some bad guys get shot dead or wounded, intense gunfights where nobody gets shot dead, villain gets a karate chop to the throat but we never learn if the guy was killed or not, a villain deliberately shot by one of his own, explosions, grenade blows up man in a fiery ball of flame, a family is threatened verbally; no sex scenes or lewd behavior; no nudity; alcohol use; no smoking but it is mentioned that one character was forced to be part of a government LSD experiment years ago, woman is put to sleep by a drug and a villain with a syringe is put to sleep or killed by the syringe himself in a fight; and, man lies so he can have an excuse to keep phoning a woman he likes, wealthy business owner tries to sell arms illegally to a man posing as an African despot, good guys break into CIA headquarters to get classified information to find out who’s trying to assassinate them and ending implies another CIA cover-up may be needed to clean up a mess caused by some evil conspirators.

More Detail:

RED is the hottest action flick of the year. It has a fun plot with engaging characters and plenty of winsome humor and intense shoot-em-up action. There are some problems, however, so media-wisdom is advised.

Bruce Willis stars as Frank Moses, a retired black-ops CIA agent living a quiet life alone in Cleveland (the movie’s title is actually an acronym meaning “Retired, Extremely Dangerous”). To pass the time of day, Frank tears up his retirement checks so he can telephone a pretty government worker in Kansas City named Sarah (played by Mary-Louise Parker). Eventually, he arranges a meeting with her there.

Before Frank can leave for Kansas City, however, a hi-tech foreign hit squad shows up at his house with machine guns blazing. Frank dispatches them post haste and rushes to protect Sarah because he assumes his phone calls to her were tapped. With Sarah in tow, Frank reassembles his old team in a fight for survival. They have to break into the CIA to find out why some of them are being targeted for assassination by people in the government.

RED has a lot of winsome, oddball humor. At one point, for example, Frank has to tie up Sarah and tape her mouth so he can have time to convince her that the people trying to kill him will likely try to kill her too. She doesn’t buy his story at first, and she angrily tries to give Frank a piece of her mind while her mouth’s taped. Also, one of Frank’s old team members, Marvin (played by John Malkovich), is a super-paranoid, sarcastic guy who wants to shoot first and ask questions later. So, Frank has to keep talking him down from the edge. In one scene, Marvin grabs a chubby middle-aged woman walking behind them outside an airport and threatens her with a gun for following them. Frank forces Marvin to let her go. Later, of course, it’s revealed that the woman actually was indeed part of the hit team trying to kill them, and she and Marvin face off in a gunfight, but her gun is a rocket launcher.

All this humor mixed with red-hot action scenes makes a perfect vehicle for Bruce Willis, who turns in another entertaining performance. Bruce’s supporting cast is filled with many talented veterans, including not only the aforementioned John Malkovich and Mary-Louise Parker, but also Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Richard Dreyfuss, Karl Urban of STAR TREK and THE LORD OF THE RINGS, and the great Ernest Borgnine. The plot lags only a little bit just before the third act, but things pick up pretty quickly for the movie’s final showdown.

There’s some strong foul language in RED, however, as well as plenty of action violence, explosions, and shoot-outs. Also, although the good guys are trying to clear their names and stop a conspiracy, they sometimes use questionable means to succeed, including murderous threats, kidnapping and shooting at Secret Service agents protecting a high government official who happens to be one of the villains. Their ultimate intention, however, is not to hurt anyone, including the Secret Service agents, and to protect innocent people, like the hero’s new girlfriend, Sarah. In the end, things turn out okay, though there’s an implication that another CIA cover-up of some sort might be necessary.

All in all, RED is one of the most entertaining pictures of the year. Viewers should exercise media-wise caution, however, for the movie’s more questionable, objectionable elements.

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30 Highest Rated Movies of all Time: Movies With 100% on Rotten Tomatoes

For 23 years, Rotten Tomatoes has been the go-to for those looking to get the scoop on what is new in movies. Aggregating opinions from fans and critics across the country, Rotten Tomatoes uses its “Tomatometer” system to calculate critical reception for any given film. If 60% of reviews are positive, the movie is given a “Fresh” status, but if positive reviews fall below that benchmark, it is deemed “Rotten.” A popular piece of media will typically fall between the 70-90% range, but rarely, a project will receive a 100% score. This means every last review from critics was positive.

Close to 480 films with at least 20 reviews have achieved a 100% score, with many coming very close. Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” had a 100% rating with 196 positive reviews before a critic submitted a negative one, knocking it down to 99%. The immortal classic “Citizen Kane” had a 100% rating until a negative review from a 1941 issue of the Chicago Tribune was rediscovered, revoking its 100% status.

Here are Rotten Tomatoes’ highest-rated movies that have managed to maintain a 100% score and have the highest number of reviews.

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

“The Philadelphia Story” is based on the 1939 Broadway play and follows a socialite whose wedding plans are complicated by the arrival of her ex-husband and a tabloid magazine journalist. Directed by George Cukor, he film stars Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart and Ruth Hussey.

“It’s definitely not a celluloid adventure for wee lads and lassies and no doubt some of the faithful watchers-out for other people’s souls are going to have a word about that,” Variety ‘s review said. “…All of which, in addition to a generous taste of socialite quaffing to excess and talk of virtue, easy and uneasy, makes “The Philadelphia Story” a picture every suburban mamma and poppa must see – after Junior and little Elsie Dinsmore are tucked away.”

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Christmas musical film “Meet Me in St. Louis” follows a year of the Smith family’s life in St. Louis leading up to the opening of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, known as the St. Louis World’s Fair, in the spring of 1904. The film stars Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer, Tom Drake, Leon Ames, Marjorie Main, June Lockhart and Joan Carroll and directed by Vincente Minnelli, who Garland later married.

“‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ is wholesome in story [from the book by Sally Benson], colorful both in background and its literal Technicolor, and as American as the World’s Series,” Variety ‘s review said. “Garland achieves true stature with her deeply understanding performance, while her sisterly running-mate, Lucille Bremer, likewise makes excellent impact with a well-balanced performance.”

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

The musical romantic comedy “Singin’ In the Rain” follows three Hollywood stars in the late 1920s dealing with the transition from silent films to talkies. Starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor, the movie was one of the first 25 films selected by the U.S. Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

“‘Singin’ In the Rain’ is a fancy package of musical entertainment with wide appeal and bright grossing prospects,” Variety ‘s review said. “Concocted by Arthur Freed with showmanship know-how, it glitters with color, talent and tunes, and an infectious air that will click with ticket buyers in all types of situations.”

Seven Samurai (1954)

Epic samurai action film “Seven Samurai” follows the story of a village of farmers in 1586 who seek to hire samurai to protect their crops from thieves. The film was the most expensive movie made in Japan at the time.

“Director Akira Kurosawa has given this a virile mounting,” Variety ‘s review said. “It is primarily a man’s film, with the brief romantic interludes also done with taste. Each character is firmly molded. Toshiro Mifune as the bold, hairbrained but courageous warrior weaves a colossal portrait. He dominates the picture although he has an extremely strong supporting cast.”

The Terminator (1984)

Sci-fi action film “The Terminator” follows a cyborg assassin (Arnold Schwarzenegger) sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose son will one day save mankind from extinction from artificial intelligence, Skynet. Co-written and directed by James Cameron and co-written and produced by Gale Anne Hurd, the film topped the U.S. box office for two weeks and grossed $78.3 million.

“‘The Terminator,’ which opens today at Loews State and other theaters, is a B-movie with flair. Much of it, as directed by James Cameron (‘Piranha II’), has suspense and personality, and only the obligatory mayhem becomes dull,” wrote Janet Maslin in a New York Times review. “There is far too much of the latter, in the form of car chases, messy shootouts and Mr. Schwarzenegger’s slamming brutally into anything that gets in his way. Far better are the scenes that follow Sarah (Linda Hamilton) from cheerful obliviousness to the grim knowledge that someone horrible is on her trail.”

Toy Story (1995)

Animated comedy film “Toy Story” follows the first adventures of cowboy doll Woody and space cadet action figure Buzz Lightyear. Owned by a boy named Andy, Woody and Buzz are a part of a group of toys that spring to life when humans aren’t around. Birthed after the success of Pixar’s short film “Tin Toy,” “Toy Story” was the first feature film from Pixar and the first entirely computer-animated feature film.

“To swipe Buzz’s motto –“To infinity and beyond”–“Toy Story” aims high to go where no animator has gone before,” wrote Leonard Klady in a 1995 Variety film review . “Fears at mission control of the whole effort crashing to Earth proved unwarranted; this is one entertainment that soars to new heights.”

Toy Story 2 (1999)

“Toy Story 2” continues Woody and Buzz Lightyear’s journey as the co-leaders of the toy group. When Woody is stolen by a toy collector, Buzz and the other toys must find set out to find him. During his time with the collector, Woody meets Jessie and Stinky Pete, other toys also based on characters from the TV show “Woody’s Roundup.” The animated film was originally supposed to be a direct-to-video sequel, but was upgraded to a theatrical release by Disney.

“In the realm of sequels, “Toy Story 2″ is to “Toy Story” what “The Empire Strikes Back” was to its predecessor, a richer, more satisfying film in every respect,” wrote former chief film critic Todd McCarthy in a 1999 Variety film review . “The comparison between these two franchises will be pursued no further, given their utter dissimilarity. But John Lasseter and his team, their confidence clearly bolstered by the massive success of their 1995 blockbuster, have conspired to vigorously push the new entry further with fresh characters, broadened scope, boisterous humor and, most of all, a gratifying emotional and thematic depth.”

Deliver Us From Evil (2006)

“Deliver Us From Evil” is a documentary that follows the case of convicted pedophile Oliver O’Grady, who molested approximately 25 children as a priest in northern California between the late 1970s through early 1990s. Filmmaker Amy Berg tracks O’Grady down to Ireland, where he was deported after being convicted of child molestation in 1993 and serving seven years in prison.

“Given how strong this kind of testimony is, “Deliver Us From Evil’s” decision to hype it more than it needs to be is unfortunate,” L.A. Times film critic Kenneth Turan said about the film in a 2006 review. “The film has a weakness for over-dramatization, for unsettling music and portentous close-ups of O’Grady’s hands and lips that are distracting and unnecessary.”

“There is nothing over-dramatic, however, about the deeply painful testimony of the adults who were victimized as children and their still traumatized parents,” he continued. “’He was the closest thing to God that we knew,’ one mother says. ‘I let the wolf in through the gate.'”

Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)

“Taxi to the Dark Side” is a documentary film directed by Alex Gibney about the 2002 killing of an Afghan taxi drive named Dilawar, who was beaten to death by American soldiers while being detained without a trial and interrogated at a black site, a detention center operated by a state where prisoners are incarcerated without due process or court order.

The film was a part of the “Why Democracy?” series, produced by The Why Foundation, which consisted of 10 documentary films examining democracy.

“Gibney (“Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room”) has crafted more than just an important document of systemic abuse — he’s stripped the rhetoric from official doublespeak to expose a callous disregard for not only the Geneva Conventions but the vision of the Founding Fathers,” writes Jay Weissberg in a Variety film review . “All enemies in wartime are perceived as animals, but Gibney uncovers the ways the White House and Pentagon have encouraged torture while distancing themselves from responsibility.”

Man on Wire (2008)

James Marsh’s “Man on Wire” documents the death-defining hire-wire stunts of Philippe Petit, who in 1974, performed a tightrope walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. “For contemporary audiences, Petit’s moment of mastery is inevitably shot through with a sense of loss; the following scenes, which reveal the band’s subsequent dissolution, reaffirm the bittersweet truth that triumph is but fleeting,” wrote Catherine Wheatley, who reviewed the film for Sight and Sound in 2010. “The film’s vision, though, is ultimately uplifting: relationships, like buildings, can collapse into rubble, but as [Annie Allix] tenderly puts it, sometimes ‘It is beautiful that way’.”

Poetry (2010)

Lee Chang-dong’s “Poetry” chronicles the life of Mija, a Korean grandmother who is simultaneously dealing with an early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis and the violent crime committed by her teenage grandson. “Now is the time to bestow on yourself the gift of one of the most, well, poetic films of 2010,” Lisa Kennedy wrote for the Denver Post in 2011. “And by ‘poetic,’ we mean rich with soulful pauses that are at once visual and aural and deeply observant of the dance of routine and quiet surprise.”

Waste Land (2010)

Lucy Walker’s “Waste Land” follows modern artist Vik Muniz to Jardim Gramacho, Brazil, the world’s largest landfill. There, he photographs the work of “catadores,” men and women who collect the refuse to recreate classical art. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times in 2011, “I do not mean to make their lives seem easy or pleasant. It is miserable work, even after they grow accustomed to the smell. But it is useful work, and I have been thinking much about the happiness to be found by work that is honest and valuable.”

The Square (2013)

“The Square” is a documentary film by Jehane Noujaim, which follows Egyptian revolutionaries during the Egyptian Crisis, a period that started with the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 at Tahrir Square and lasted for three years. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and won three Emmys.

“Continuing to follow a group of activists as they rally against the undue powers of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Army, ‘The Square’ understands that the Revolution itself is a work in progress, and while its immediacy means it, too, will soon be superseded, it stands as a vigorous, useful account,” writes Jay Weissberg in a 2013 Variety film review .

Gloria (2013)

Sebastián Lelio’s “Gloria” follows the relationship between an aging divorce and an amusement park operator after their chance encounter at a singles disco. “With someone else in the central role, ‘Gloria’ might have been cloyingly sentimental or downright maudlin,” wrote Joe Morgenstern in his 2014 Wall St. Journal review. “With [Paulina García] on hand, it’s a mostly convincing celebration of unquenchable energy.”

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2014)

Isao Takahata’s “The Tale of Princess Kaguya” tells the fable of a beautiful young woman who sends her suitors away on impossible tasks in hopes of avoiding a loveless marriage. In a 2015 review for Sight and Sound, Andrew Osmond wrote, “While the characters feel very simplified at times, there are scenes that put great weight on performance and subtle expressions, in a way that’s nearer to the classical Disney tradition than most Japanese animation.”

Seymour: An Introduction (2014)

Ethan Hawke’s documentary “Seymour: An Introduction” chronicles the life of Seymour Bernstein, a concert pianist who, at age 50, gave up performing to become an educator and composer. “Coming off of his superb one-two performances for Richard Linklater in ‘Before Midnight’ and ‘Boyhood,’ Hawke continues to work at a creative high level,” wrote Bruce Ingram in his 2015 review for the Chicago Sun-Times. “He demonstrates a rapport and openness with his subject that proves exceptionally affecting.”

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (2014)

From directors Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz, “Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem” follows an Israeli woman’s three-year battle to separate from her husband who refuses to dissolve their marriage. “Ultimately the movie is wearying, but then it’s likely supposed to be,” Tom Long wrote for Detroit News in 2015. “If Viviane’s going through the wringer, you’re going through the wringer too.”

One Cut of the Dead (2017)

Shin’ichirô Ueda’s “One Cut of the Dead” follows Director Higurashi and his crew who attempt to shoot a zombie movie at an abandoned WWII Japanese facility. Things go wrong when they realize they are being attacked by real zombies. In his 2019 Los Angeles Times review, Carlos Aguilar called the film, “A master class in endless narrative inventiveness and an ode to the resourceful and collaborative spirit of hands-on filmmaking, ‘One Cut of the Dead’ amounts to an explosively hilarious rarity.”

Leave No Trace (2018)

Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace” follows a father and daughter hiding in the forests of Portland, Ore. When a misstep tips off their location to local authorities, they must escape and find a new place to call home. Peter Travers wrote in his 2018 Rolling Stone review, “Debra Granik’s drama about a damaged war vet (Ben Foster) living off the grid with his teen daughter, brilliantly played by breakout star Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, is hypnotic, haunting and one of the year’s best.”

Summer 1993 (2018)

Carla Simón’s “Summer 1993” is told through the eyes of six-year-old Frida, who watches in silence as her recently deceased mother’s last possessions are packed into boxes. “Some creatures are able to grow new limbs,” wrote Joe Morgenstern in his 2018 Wall Street Journal review. “Frida, given more than half a chance after demanding it, achieves something no less remarkable. She grows new joy and hope.”

Minding the Gap (2018)

“Minding the Gap” follows the relationship of three boys who use skateboarding as an outlet to escape their hardships at home. “The film captures more than a decade long documentary footage showcasing their friendship. In some documentaries, the filmmakers attempt to make themselves invisible. Despite Liu’s camera-shyness, he never pretends to be anything other than a part of the story, hitting his subjects with direct, deeply personal questions,” wrote Peter Debruge, who reviewed the film for Variety in 2018.

Honeyland (2019)

“Honeyland” is a Macedonian documentary film that was directed by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov. The movie follows a woman and her beekeeping traditions to cultivate honey in the mountains of North Macedonia. Guy Lodge from Variety describes “Honeyland” as it begins as a “calm, captured-in-amber character study, before stumbling upon another, more conflict-driven story altogether — as younger interlopers on the land threaten not just Hatidze’s solitude but her very livelihood with their newer, less nature-conscious farming methods,” he said.

Welcome to Chechnya (2020)

“Welcome to Chechnya” released in 2020, exposes Russian leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his government as they try to detain, torture and execute LGBTQ Chechens. “A vital, pulse-quickening new documentary from journalist-turned-filmmaker David France that urgently lifts the lid on one of the most horrifying humanitarian crises of present times: the state-sanctioned purge of LGBTQ people in the eponymous southern Russian republic,” wrote Guy Lodge from Variety in 2020.

Crip Camp (2020)

“Crip Camp” is based on Camp Jened, which was a summer camp for teens with disabilities in the ’70s that inspired real-life activism. The film eliminates stereotypes and challenges the way people think about disabilities. “It may be startling for those who haven’t spent time with people with cerebral palsy or polio to see how a paraplegic gets from his wheelchair into the pool,” wrote Peter Debruge for Variety in 2020. “On closer inspection, it becomes clear that these teenagers…are having the time of their lives.”

76 Days (2020)

“76 Days” is a documentary released on Netflix in 2020 that shows the struggles of medical professionals and patients in Wuhan, China dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. “As an artifact alone, the result is remarkable, capturing all the panic and pragmatism greeting a disaster before its entire global impact had been gauged, while strategies and protocols are adjusted on the hoof,” wrote Guy Lodge for Variety in 2020. “That it’s so artfully and elegantly observed, and packs such a candid wallop of feeling, atop its frontline urgency is testament to the grace and sensitivity of its directorial team, not just their timely savvy.”

His House (2020)

“His House” is a horror movie that initially released on Netflix and terrified audiences. The plot follows a refugee couple that try to create a new life for themselves in an English town by escaping South Sudan but find their new home is haunted. Jessica Kiang reviewed the film for Variety in 2020 and wrote “‘His House’ is at its most persuasively terrifying when it gets out of the house and into the existential terror of reality. Out there are aspects of the refugee experience that contain greater horrors and mortifications than all the blackening plaster, childish ghostly humming and skittering presences in the walls could ever hope to suggest.”

Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020)

“Quo Vadis, Aida?” documents the journey of Aida, a translator for the U.N. in Srebrenica interpreting the crime taking place when the Serbian army takes over the Bosnian town. “This is not historical revisionism, if anything, ‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ works to un-revise history, re-centering the victims’ plight as the eye of a storm of evils — not only the massacre itself, but the broader evils of institutional failure and international indifference,” wrote Jessica Kiang, who reviewed the film in 2020 for Variety.

Hive (2021)

“Hive” tells the true story about a woman, Fahrije, who becomes an entrepreneur, after her husband goes missing during the Kosovo War. She sells her own red pepper ajvar and honey, and recruiting more women to join her. “Within the heavily patriarchal hierarchy of the country’s rural society, this places these maybe-widows in an impossible situation, especially when, like Fahrije, they have a family to care for,” writes Jessica Kiang for Variety . “They are expected to wait in continual expectation of their breadwinner-husbands’ return, subsisting on paltry welfare handouts, because to take a job or set up a business is looked on not only as a subversion of the natural order, but as a sign of disrespect to the husband and possibly loose morals.” 

Descendant (2022)

Netflix described its 2022 film, saying, “Descendants of the enslaved Africans on an illegal ship that arrived in Alabama in 1860 seek justice and healing when the craft’s remains are discovered.” “This past remains present, Brown shows, as activists explain how the land on which Africatown (formerly Magazine Point) was established once belonged to Meaher, who sold some of it to former slaves.,” wrote Peter Debruge for Variety . “Talk of racial injustice calls for nuance, and it’s impressive just how many facets of the conversation Brown is able to include in her film.”

20 Days in Mariupol (2023)

“20 Days in Mariupol” tells the story of a group of Ukrainian journalists who are trapped in Mariupol during the Russian invasion and struggle to continue documenting the war. The film is directed by Mstyslav Chernov, a Ukrainian director and it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film in 2024. “Powerful as those glimpses were to international viewers, Chernov doesn’t spare his documentary more brutally sustained moments,” wrote Dennis Harvey for Variety . “There’s no political analysis or sermonizing here, just a punishingly up-close look at the toll of modern warfare on a population.”

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Red Eye review – the mile-high mystery that wishes it were Hijack

Instead of Idris Elba cranking it up to 11, we have the serviceable Richard Armitage downing G&Ts while handcuffed to his plane seat. Then the bodies start to pile up …

I f it’s Sunday – or Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday – it must be time for a serviceable new thriller starring Richard Armitage . They’re usually on Netflix and adapted from a Harlan Coben bestseller (The Stranger, Stay Close, Fool Me Once); though they’re also sometimes on Netflix and adapted from a Josephine Hart novel (Damage, renamed Obsession for TV). This time, he is serviceably thrilling on ITV1 and ITVX in Red Eye, written by Peter A Dowling (with Jingan Young taking on episode four).

Armitage is Dr Matthew Nolan, first seen stumbling out of a Beijing nightclub with a knife wound, before smashing his car into a traffic barrier in an attempt, one assumes, to avoid another stabbing. Viewerly interest piqued, we cut to him arriving at Heathrow and promptly being arrested – or whatever variation these border agents perform – for the killing of a young woman who was in his car when it crashed. She was the daughter of a Party general and, in order not to jeopardise a fragile energy deal with China, the government agrees to send him straight back there to answer the charges.

But, splutters the good doctor, he didn’t do it! There was no one in the car with him when he crashed. He spoke to the woman at the post-conference party – where many other good doctors were in attendance – and left. He’s being framed. But why? And by whom?

The officer assigned to escort him back to China on the titular red-eye flight cares not a jot. She is DC Hana Li (Jing Lusi), narked because she has been stuck with this task below her pay grade purely because she is of Chinese descent, and convinced of his guilt because, um, the border agent she met said he done it and showed her a picture of the dead woman. “Your money and your white privilege made you think you could get away with it,” she snarls as she handcuffs him to his seat. She does let him down double G&Ts to his heart’s content, though I hope she brings a little more critical thinking to her actual cases. But there is no time to dwell on this, as things are moving apace.

Four other doctors at the conference, known to have seen Nolan talking to this woman, are asked to return to China with their extradited colleague to give witness statements. Three agree, one does not. He is last seen muttering suspiciously into a phone and then getting kidnapped into a white van. Should have got on the plane, Chris.

Or should he? Because within a few hours of takeoff, the bodies are piling up. Poisonings; thumps on heads made to look like accidents. Where is Idris Elba from Hijack when you need him? Fortunately, DC Li steps up. It’s a more phone-calls-to-authorities approach than Elba’s hands-on method at first, but more action soon arrives. The pilot remains unharmed at the end of the first two episodes available for review, but as he kisses a photo of his family before takeoff we assume he is marked for death. I suspect there will be some plummeting to be done before this thing is over.

Back on terra firma, we have Lesley Sharp miscast as Madeline Delaney, head of MI5. This seems to mean moving and talking very slowly to everyone. (But I suppose this may be accurate? Most of my knowledge of MI5 comes from Spooks and they all seem to move pretty fast there, but I accept that this too is television and possibly not an infallible source.) She is against Nolan’s extradition but the Home Office is adamant that the doctor goes. There is clearly something sinister writhing beneath the surface involving our government and the Chinese, but whether this is all to do with the building of a few nuclear power stations or darker forces at work is not yet clear.

Meanwhile, wouldn’t you know it, a bloody journalist has picked up the scent and has started to investigate Nolan’s unusual return to the scene of his alleged crime. She is Li’s half-sister, Jess (Jemma Moore), and they are already on no-speaks because of some unspecified betrayal over her last story.

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That, really, ladies and gentleman, is about all there is to say about this perfectly fun, perfectly functional twist-n-conspiracy-laden tale. If you watch the first episode you will very likely watch them all and they will slip down a treat. And then you will forget about it until the next time Armitage pops up – Tuesday, say.

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Red Eye review: Is Richard Armitage's Hijack-style ITV show worth a watch?

Prepare for takeoff.

The six-parter follows Armitage as Dr Matthew Nolan, returning to his Obsession mould as a British doctor in hot water. But this time those are international waters. When Nolan steps off a long-haul flight home from a medical conference in China looking like death warmed up, he's detained on suspicion of murdering a Chinese citizen.

Armitage grunts the words "British citizen" and "British soil" a lot to no avail, while being grilled by airport police, all of whom inexplicably display the identikit bald menace of Dune 's Harkonnen clan.

DC Hana Li, played by Jing Lusi, is then roped in to escort Nolan back to Beijing on the 10-plus hour flight returning the way he just came. On a side note, if you've ever wondered how much of a deep clean these flights get in between legs, the picture painted by Red Eye isn't a promising one.

En route to the Chinese capital, passengers start to be picked off by a shadowy figure lurking among them, leading DCI Hana to suspect something sinister is afoot.

As the night flight hurtles onwards, MI5’s Madeline Delaney (Lesley Sharp) and DCI Hana's journalist half-sister Jess (Jemma Moore) try to unpick the conspiracy from the ground.

The Hijack comparisons are impossible to ignore. Even Red Eye is conscious of them, since the two productions used the same plane set. Idris Elba only disembarked for Richard Armitage to board.

But it's not just Hijack : there's The Flight Attendant , Masters of the Air , The Castaways , Yellowjackets … plane content is in the ether. The TV landscape is at peak cruising altitude. It's a curious phenomenon, since boarding a long-haul flight is an experience most are loath to do, and that's without all the shenanigans that unfold on these TV flights.

Yet Red Eye is a decent addition to the pack. Penned by Peter A Dowling, who also wrote the Jodie Foster plane thriller Flightplan , he again expertly uses this hermetically sealed commercial tube as a whodunnit pressure cooker.

The admittedly roomy plane does start to feel more like a condo, with its various hidden compartments and comfort break areas for flight attendants. But the lighting is suitably drab and the turbulence rattling enough to make the whole thing believable enough, plot notwithstanding.

Armitage and Lusi very quickly establish a cat-and-mouse rapport. Although Red Eye 's narrative has the twisting logic of a pretzel, its thrills and spills override how daft it is.

Fans of Armitage's recent stuff will gobble it up. But Armitage's Hobbit and Harlan Coben star power is very closely rivalled by a fabulous turn from Lusi.

The Crazy Rich Asians star is at home in the world of plane, a project she has described in watershed terms for its Asian representation both in front of and behind the camera.

While Red Eye may not be the ultimate vehicle for explorations of immigrant belonging – Beef this isn't – these themes are deftly woven into the thriller context. Lusi's Hana drives the "model minority" stereotype off a cliff. She is a headstrong, no-bullshit woman who cares enormously about her job and tries to do right by her family, despite a prickly relationship with them.

Even once the bodies really start to pile up – including, be warned, a canine – the pace moves at enough of a clip for you to keep at bay the lingering question of believability. Only in the ad breaks is there time to wonder… In reality, wouldn't they just land the plane?

Red Eye airs on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.

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Previously a TV Reporter at The Mirror , Rebecca can now be found crafting expert analysis of the TV landscape for Digital Spy , when she's not talking on the BBC or Times Radio about everything from the latest season of Bridgerton or The White Lotus to whatever chaos is unfolding in the various Love Island villas. 

When she's not bingeing a box set, in-the-wild sightings of Rebecca have included stints on the National TV Awards  and BAFTAs red carpets, and post-match video explainers of the reality TV we're all watching.

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The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time. The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.

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• Trivia Marisa Abela had done most of the singing in this film herself. She trained extensively to mimic Amy Winehouse 's vocals.

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