A "Bloody Good" RED

Sometimes choosing a fractal for these posts is virtually impossible.  Other times it's as easy as falling off a long.  For RED it was the latter: all I had to do was pick out an image that was mostly red.  That's Why I chose Satin Arabesque 66(B) for today's image.  Now--on with the review!
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There are few things better (at least at the movies) than a "really good" Action Comedy: likewise, there are few things harder to pull off.  Lucky for me Red manages to work on both levels--action AND comedy.  Yes, the plot has more holes than a thousand-pound wheel of premium Swiss Cheese but you don't go to these movies for the plot intracies: you go for the big battle scenes and witty banter--and this RED has in plenty.  The action moves along so quickly you don't get a chance to worry over the sketchy plot unttil well after you've left the theater (and maybe not even then).  Sadly, anybody with half a brain can figure out the details of tthe entire plot--but that's OK (unless maybe you have the soul of a Critic).
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Leading man Bruce Willis actually shows up to perform in this movie rather than phoning in his performance (and that's a refreshing change).  His "Sad Sack" character with a hunger for love and bullets comes off as completely believeable and he's actually fun to watch for a change.  Morgan Freeman is always reliable but doesn't get as much screen time as he deserves.  You pretty much know going in that he won't survive: (the "oldster" never gets to see the end of an action movie--even in a movie filled with oldsters.)  John Malkovich has turned crazy into his own personal franchise and he excels here.  Aristocratic Helen Mirren is all class and deliciously murderous in her part and she can show "wannabes" like Angelina Jolie how it's donee.  (Her mowing down the bad guys in an evening gown and combat boots is almost worth the price of admission.)  Mary Louise Parker gets stuck as a "damsel in distress" for the first 2/3 of the movie but she finally gets to break out and go beyond the bonds of the conventional.  Brian Cox plays a Russian but his accent wanders but he has a certain bearish charm in his cardboard character.  Richard Dreyfuss shows up breifly and he does "weasel" quite well.
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RED is based on a DC Comics Graphic Novel (that I'd never heard of) but it doesn't translate as comic book at all.  Makers of action movies (be they comedic or not) should have this movie as required viewing before they release on of their own.  For the "ordinary" person Red is a wonderful fun outing in the theater.  It's a great "date night" and fun for older folks who seldeom get to see characters like them portrayed in a positive light.
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FINAL GRADE: A