Somewhere along the line someone should have taken a long, hard look at the excesses of the ending and changed course.
Red (2008)
Tomatometer
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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
Reviews for Red
A low-key but compelling thriller that refuses to follow the traditional vengeance movie template.
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.
This powerful, elemental drama hits all the buttons, probably to a fault, but it’s helped along by fine performances all around.
Screenwriter Stephen Susco communicates with a wisdom beyond his years, injecting moments of profound introspection, both spoken and silent.
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.
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.
Animal lovers may or may not like the way that the principal character gets revenge on a young man who killed his dog.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The film's climax ultimately seems less an example of its protagonist's irrational fury than of cockeyed storytelling.
Latest News for Red
July 20, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
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July 01, 2008:
Edinburgh 2008: What to Watch
We share twenty of the best films screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, currently running in the Scottish city. More...
June 18, 2008:
RT's First Critical Consensus Award to be Presented at Edinburgh Film Festival
A panel of leading film critics will present the Rotten Tomatoes Critical Consensus Award 2008 to one of a shortlist of films playing at this year's Edinburgh International Film... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 90% 90% | The White Ribbon | 12/30 |
| 100% 100% | Daybreakers | 1/8 |
| | Leap Year | 1/8 |
| 83% 83% | Youth in Revolt | 1/8 |
| | The Book of Eli | 1/15 |
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