RED
“Retired, Extremely Dangerous” was only mildly adventurous compared to the action movies of the 80’s when Bruce Willis & Co. were on top of their games. Perhaps it’s because action movies nowadays, of should be “retired” action stars, tend to be rated PG-13 and has gone too over the top - the most recent Rambo being the exception. I actually like that one.
Over-the-top and an R rating make for a better marriage in the action department.
The only extreme in this film is the contrast between great action scenes and slow story plot, which really disrupts the flow. They add a little humor here and there, which makes it bare-able, but overall I guess age is factored in when you’re making an action piece. You can’t have a lot of running, close-combat and French Connection-type of car chases. I high doubt they wanted to do their own stunts either. So the producers opt for a lot of heavy artillery fire and massive small arms shooting… from a distance.
Then again, their real demographic are the Baby-Boomers and senior citizens. When all’s said and done, they did a great job for the goal they set to accomplish: tap into the age group whose Social Security checks we, the 34 year-olds and younger, are paying but will never see ourselves.
★ ★
