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Red

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Red (2008)

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Reviews Counted:26

Fresh:18

Rotten:8

Average Rating:6.5/10

Consensus: This vengeance film leans heavily on attack-and-avenge scenarios but performances by Brian Cox's and Tom Sizemore's take the stink out of any weaker scripting.

Rated: Not Rated

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Aug 8, 2008 Limited

Synopsis: From its first scene, Red rivets you like a classic page-turner. Set in small-town America, Red derives its title from a 14-year-old dog that is the sole companion of Avery (Brian Cox), an older... From its first scene, Red rivets you like a classic page-turner. Set in small-town America, Red derives its title from a 14-year-old dog that is the sole companion of Avery (Brian Cox), an older gentleman who lives alone with his memories in a simple existence posing no threat to anyone. One day while he is fishing, three troublesome teens terrorize him and kill the only thing he has left to love in the world—his dog. He sets out on a quest for an apology, but the situation soon escalates into much more.

Norwegian director Trygve Diesen gives a welcome fresh perspective to this very American story. Diesen is a refined and calculating storyteller; he allows events to stack up, keeping you both intrigued and questioning each character's actions and motives. Brian Cox is in almost every scene and proves himself one of the finest actors working today. He engages you and invites you to take the journey with him, but at every step of the way, you can’t help but ask, "What would I do?" As it systematically deconstructs the age-old conflict between good and evil, Red becomes a genre tale about redemption and revenge—and makes that old good-versus-evil battle eerily, believably new. --© Sundance Film Festival
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Starring: Brian Cox, Noel Fisher, Kyle Gallner, Tom Sizemore

Starring: Brian Cox, Noel Fisher, Kyle Gallner, Tom Sizemore, Amanda Plummer, Kim Dickens, Robert Englund

Director: Trygve Allister Diesen, Lucky McKee

Director: Trygve Allister Diesen, Lucky McKee
Screenwriter: Jack Ketchum, Stephen Susco
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

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Reviews for Red

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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Somewhere along the line someone should have taken a long, hard look at the excesses of the ending and changed course.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
08/06/08
Lewis Beale
Lewis Beale
Film Journal International

A low-key but compelling thriller that refuses to follow the traditional vengeance movie template.

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
08/29/08
Geoff Berkshire
Geoff Berkshire
Metromix.com

Red is the best Ketchum adaptation to date, just edging out The Girl Next Door. It earns this achievement thanks to Brian Cox's amazing performance.

Full Review Source: Flipside Movie Emporium | comment Comment
10/30/08
Mike Bracken
Mike Bracken
Flipside Movie Emporium

A well-made, neo-Western from Norwegian directors.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
01/28/08
Duane Byrge
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This powerful, elemental drama hits all the buttons, probably to a fault, but it’s helped along by fine performances all around.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
08/04/08
Sara Cardace
Sara Cardace
New York Magazine
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Screenwriter Stephen Susco communicates with a wisdom beyond his years, injecting moments of profound introspection, both spoken and silent.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/22/08
Peter Debruge
Peter Debruge
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie's escalating series of tit-for-tat revenge ploys becomes a bit tedious even at 95 minutes, but Cox and a rich (if not always well-served) supporting cast that includes Tom Sizemore, Amanda Plummer, and Robert Englund keep it more than watchable.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
08/28/08
Scott Foundas
Scott Foundas
L.A. Weekly

Once Avery's mission assumes a Freudian dimension, the allegory loses its moral force and changes from a meditation on justice, power and inequality into a gory melodrama.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/08/08
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
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Animal lovers may or may not like the way that the principal character gets revenge on a young man who killed his dog.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
07/10/08
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

As Diesen fades out with a pat, artificially full-circle ending, we still appreciate how Red danced on the edge of the Movie-of-the-Week abyss and, thanks to Cox and the careful tending of Jack Ketchum’s original novel, never fell in.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
08/08/08
Mark Keizer
Mark Keizer
Boxoffice Magazine

The lesson to be taken away from Red is that, after some killin', the only thing that can make someone feel better is a new puppy.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
08/06/08
Anna King
Anna King
Time Out New York

This movie has a humungous amount of problems, but I think that its absolute worst sin is that it’ll make you think that the Jack Ketchum novel is some sort of Oprah’s book of the month reject.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
07/22/08
Jeremy Knox
Jeremy Knox
Film Threat

Along with Shotgun Stories, Felon, and a few other recent 'indie pulps,' Red is part of a wave of low-budget genre films that turn injustice into an abstract force ripping decent folk apart.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
08/08/08
Noel Murray
Noel Murray
AV Club

A final quarter sentimental streak clashes with the masochistic pleasure of watching middle America close ranks against a victim who can't even bark in his own defense.

Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | comment Comment
08/16/08
Amy Nicholson
Amy Nicholson
I.E. Weekly

...a deliberately paced and downright thoughtful piece of work.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
10/24/08
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

An elegant and deceptively straightforward dramatic thriller.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
08/29/08
Mark Olsen
Mark Olsen
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Begins promisingly and then swerves into absurdity.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
08/08/08
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor

It’s Brian Cox’s powerful but low-key performance and an abiding respect for animals that can’t defend themselves that invest this simple, straightforward narrative with an understated passion that is unforgettable.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
07/30/08
Rex Reed
Rex Reed
New York Observer
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The film's climax ultimately seems less an example of its protagonist's irrational fury than of cockeyed storytelling.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
08/03/08
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Slant Magazine

Cox's performance is more than enough to make the film worthwhile.

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
01/31/08
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
Cinematical
 
 
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