IR Film Review: RED NOTICE [Netflix]
The aspect of big star vehicles made because of a good relationship between partners can either be great or a miss in certain ways. "Red Notice" , an uber budgeted action comedy on Netflix starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot has a good concept and just wants to have fun but is that needed for such a large scale film? Yes and no. It plays to certain tropes and ideas of story style that were prevalent in this kind of affair in the 90s and obviously Johnson is a big fan of them. However, he casts himself in certain ways as the romantic lead, and while admirable, it doesn't often work either because of the stature or because he chemistry isn't there. This was similar to "Jungle Cruise". Johnson tries aptly and he has his charm but there are certain limits. Reynolds is on the other end. He has innate charm but ionically he is playing Jerry Lewis to Johnson's Dean Martin. It is a nice back and forth and a throwback in many ways that work. But Reynolds says every quip that comes into his mind and goes out of his mouth. While it has a riff to it, it at times seems uncontrolled yet it is. Mix this was bigger action pieces around the world (although many are blatantly green screen) and it makes for good entertainment but not much heart.
Gal Gadot as the Bishop is the one that is able to spread her wings a little more. She is much more serious and morally focused as Wonder Woman. Here she is able to be a little less PC, be goofy, be sexy on her own terms and still be kick ass. Her laughter and little quips (though her accent never quite goes away) are some of the best points in the movie. While the back and forth double crosses and odes to everything from "The Mummy" to "Indiana Jones" to "True Lies" are interesting, it s amazing how many references including to DC and Lucasfilm they can get away with. This is of course the power of A-list actors who are also seasoned producers. The film moves through different locations and likes to showcase their stars strengths but the film feels more than a little empty yet still good Saturday night fare that doesn't require much thought. Most of the action set pieces are likely wish fulfillment and aspects that the stars thought were cool. Obviously Johnson trusts the director Rawson Marshall Thurber (who also wrote the film) having done "Skyscraper" and "Central Intelligence" with him but beyond being a star vehicle, "Red Notice" is simply to OK to grab a soda and watch the puns fly. B
By Tim Wassberg
