RED (2010)
Red-hot action, oddball humor, and strong content for adults.
Should You Watch It?
If you want a fast, funny spy thriller, RED delivers. Bruce Willis leads a talented veteran cast through explosive action, shoot-outs, conspiracies, and winsome oddball humor. The good guys are trying to protect innocent people and expose a government cover-up, and the film carries a moral, patriotic worldview that extols family.
The cost is substantial. The movie includes strong foul language and plenty of intense action violence. The heroes also use questionable methods, including threats, kidnapping, and shooting at Secret Service agents, even though they do not ultimately intend to hurt those agents. Alcohol use and drug references add to the concerns.
This is a rewarding action movie for discerning adults, but not a family movie for children or young teens. WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESFrank Moses is a retired black-ops CIA agent whose quiet life changes when a foreign hit squad attacks his home. He brings a woman he has been calling, Sarah, along for protection and reunites with his old team.
Together, they investigate why former agents are being targeted and uncover a conspiracy involving the CIA, a politician, and an illegal arms dealer. To survive, they must break into CIA headquarters and confront powerful people inside the government.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means RED is one of the most entertaining action pictures in the source review's estimation. The plot is engaging, the action is intense, and the oddball humor is a strong match for Bruce Willis.
Willis gives an entertaining performance, while John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Richard Dreyfuss, Karl Urban, Mary-Louise Parker, and Ernest Borgnine provide strong support. The plot lags only a little before the third act, then picks up quickly for the final showdown.
The Worldview
RED presents a strong moral and patriotic worldview. Its plot centers on the CIA being used for a political cover-up, but it portrays the average CIA agent as good rather than evil. Family is extolled, and Christmas is referenced.
The film also minimizes that positive worldview through questionable elements. The hero threatens a CIA agent to make him believe Frank's story. A wealthy business owner attempts to sell arms illegally to someone posing as an African despot, creating a vaguely anti-capitalist subplot. The heroes break into CIA headquarters for classified information, and the ending implies that another CIA cover-up may be needed to clean up the conspirators' mess.
The film's good guys want to protect innocent people, but they sometimes use threats, kidnapping, and violence to accomplish that goal. Scripture calls God's people to protect the vulnerable and pursue justice: “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute” (Psalm 82:3).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
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.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The heroes want to protect innocent people, but sometimes use questionable methods. When does pursuing a good goal fail to justify our actions?
Romans 12:17–21 · Micah 6:8The story involves a political cover-up and the misuse of government power. What does Scripture require of people entrusted with authority?
Romans 13:1–4 · Proverbs 29:4Family is honored in the film. How can your family protect and care for one another without becoming fearful or controlling?
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 · Philippians 2:3–4Frank keeps calling Sarah even though he lies about why. What do honesty and loving communication look like in a relationship?
Ephesians 4:25 · Colossians 3:9The Final Word
RED is a highly entertaining action thriller with a gifted cast, sharp oddball humor, and a moral center. Strong language, intense violence, and questionable methods make it unsuitable for children and young teens. For discerning adults, it is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For a family movie night, choose something else.
