”Move over Ocean’s 11, Red Notice is the next great heist franchise that will keep you coming back for more!”
Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds all in the same movie, how is this not going to be entertaining? Even when you have a good cast, a movie can still be bad, it happens. But with the movie Red Notice, that is not the case. I was thoroughly entertained with this film, not only because it’s essentially a heist movie, but you also have an Indiana Jones feel to it and if you’re looking for a good Indiana Jones type movie to fill the void until Indy 5 comes out in 2022 then Red Notice is a good one. This movie isn’t some high drama with an important message. It’s not going to win an Oscar. It’s just a fun action film with a lot of great comedy and a few twists and turns as thieves compete with one another to steal some priceless artifacts. Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot’s characters are competing art thieves looking for 3 golden eggs gifted to Cleopatra. Dwayne Johnson plays the FBI agent trying to stop them both until he’s framed and has to work with Ryan Reynolds’ character to bring down the number one art thief in the world. In a lot of ways, this movie reminded me of the Bruce Willis films, RED. They’re just fun action comedies that you don’t have to think a whole lot about and can be entertained for two hours. I was definitely entertained.
What makes the movie worth watching are definitely the performances of the main characters. You’ve got three great actors leading the way who have good chemistry and look as if they had fun making the film. Ryan Reynolds always makes great action comedies, even if the story isn’t that strong. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard was not as good as the first one, but it still manages to entertain. If you want a good comparison with this film then think of all the Ocean’s Eleven films, all of them will entertain you and make you laugh. That’s what Ryan Reynolds brings to this kind of film and Gal Gadot believe It or not makes a perfect villain. But the performances are good. The back and forth and the dialogue is even better. Also, this film is very much an adventure film that will take you to multiple locations and like I said before it makes you feel like you’re in an Indiana Jones Heist movie, who wouldn’t want to see that! The movie has the right amount of action that it’s not so over-the-top and makes you feel like you’re watching a Michael Bay film, but the number one thing that makes it a fun movie to watch are the twists and turns because you won’t see them coming in the end. It certainly isn’t a predictable film. That’s what I really enjoyed about it. I do feel like this would have been a fun movie to see in the theaters, but it’s also a perfect film for Netflix and while Netflix has some hit and misses with their original films, especially the last Ryan Reynolds Netflix film “6 Underground,” Red Notice certainly not a miss.
Now it isn’t exactly a perfect movie and while I do think the performances are good, more so with Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot, we’re not always use to seeing Dwayne Johnson play the straight man to the funnier character as with Ryan Reynolds. Dwayne Johnson is incredibly funny and I think action movies are the only time he’s really good as the straight man like in the Fast & Furious series or a revenge movie he did about 10 years ago called “Faster.” It may not be his most comedic performance, but it works when he’s playing off Ryan Reynolds. There are times that the flashback scenes do seem a little out of place when trying to tell the backstory, but you will quickly forget them has all of them lead into the more adventurous parts of this film and that’s where it does feel more like an Indiana Jones film wrapped up with a little Ocean’s 11. But if I’m being honest, my critiques are small because. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and can certainly see a franchise out of it. It may not be a perfect film or something worthy of an Oscar, but it’s a fun film and you’ll watch it again.
Yes, Red Notice, it’s definitely a hit for Netflix. With three great actors that work well on screen and lots of exotic locations that make for a good heist movie, it feels a little bit like an Indiana Jones film or maybe what an Uncharted film should be, I can guarantee you, you’ll be entertained and you will definitely watch this movie again unless you’re just don’t like action comedy movies. The filmmakers added just enough twists to keep you guessing and shocked, and more importantly, all the twists make the film work. You can easily tell that they let Ryan Reynolds do what he does best and just improvise making his character funnier. As I said before, it’s not high drama and the story isn’t going to inspire you or look at the world in a new way, but good action comedies are there to entertain us. Red Notice is perfect for that and a good escape if you had a bad week. It reminds me of the National treasure movies where it doesn’t need to be that dramatic and you can have a good adventure story with the right amount of comedy. So, when Red Notice pops up in your Netflix recommendations, hit play, you’ll be glad you did.
