Red Notice

A trouble-free film, which was surprising to me. Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds are an unexpectedly great comedy duo, and although neither of them almost ever leave their comfort zones, I didn't mind at all because they are convincingly amusing and not awkward. And Gal Gadot keeps up with them and is more than just a useless pretty face. Red Notice masks the simplicity of the plot with a variety of situations that all three find themselves in, as well as the fact that the film makes fun of itself. For example, when one scene starts to resemble something like Indiana Jones, you can be sure that in a while someone starts whistling the fanfare of John Williams, and the action scene that confirms the affection for Indy lurks around the corner. I liked that the script wasn’t forced, that it didn't need jokes at all costs, that it was imaginative, and although it quotes or recalls all sorts of stuff (the scaffolding scene belongs in Pirates of the Caribbean, etc.), it doesn't steal them, and it is, or tries to be as original as possible. I wanted to be this satisfied with Army of Thieves, for example. (11/14/2021)

At first, I was all in — caught up in the hype and craving some good old-fashioned adventure. I even slapped four stars on it right away. But then, after a restless night, I started to realize why this film felt so... sterile. Sure, Netflix’s most expensive film to date made a massive splash globally, but that’s mostly thanks to the star power of The Rock and Ryan Reynolds, who are undeniably huge draws right now. The problem is, despite the big-budget tag, the film doesn't really feel like it. The action is nothing spectacular, and even though the story hops around the globe, most of it plays out in generic interiors. It’s like Reynolds is whistling Indy’s tune, but the film never quite hits that adventurous stride. And just when you think it might finally deliver some of that classic archaeological thrill that movies like this need, the plot takes a few wild turns that are more nauseating than exciting. Still, I have to admit, despite all that, Red Notice is pure fun — cheesy, superficial, and more about the banter between The Rock and Ryan Reynolds than anything else. It’s perfect if you just want to turn your brain off and enjoy watching two of the biggest action-comedy stars of the moment. (11/16/2021)

What a weird movie. There wasn’t a hint of originality, a trio of not-quite-Shakespearean actors were cast in the lead roles, and the script and the way it was handled were quite unimpressive. Forty minutes into the movie, I was already bored, checking my watch every few minutes to see if it was going to be over soon. Gal Gadot may have a nice figure, but her acting is comparable to that of a Ukrainian clothes hanger, Ryan Reynolds' contribution was that he spent the entire movie rambling on and on (to a point when I started secretly hoping that his character would get killed off), and Dwayne Johnson is just The Rock. It was a very long two hours and I'm absolutely certain I won't watch it ever again. (01/07/2022)

Netflix calculated how to make a hit: take a lot of money, put in famous faces, come up with an uncomplicated story, and cram something in there for everyone, ideally in a way that the result won't turn anyone off, regardless of age or whether they want action, adventure, humor, exotic locations, or basically anything. The result is Red Notice. Dwayne Johnson scowls and occasionally punches someone, Ryan Reynolds talks and pisses Johnson off, and Gal Gadot looks good while sadly confirming that her acting talent is more suited for photos or silent films. And overall? Overall, it doesn't offend, it doesn't surprise, it passes pleasantly in the first half and drags in the second, and when there's a problem somewhere, Netflix throws a few million dollars at it and routinist Rawson Marshall Thurbert pulls it all together into something that's about two hours long, with a beginning, middle and end, and everyone will watch it anyway because we're just curious about the actors, right? And then we all forget about it in an hour. I get what Netflix was going for and I respect that they did it, but I'm certainly not going to settle for this uninteresting routine and I'm not going to praise it. It's like it was all made by a machine that figured out what people probably want to see and served it up to them. (11/17/2021)

The trailers didn’t entice me at all; I was quite worried about what this project would turn out to be. Unfortunately, my gloomy expectations were fully met! I really don’t understand how anyone can compare this to Indiana Jones in terms of quality. Director Rawson Marshall Thurber has only one similarly genre-oriented film under his belt (Skyscraper), and that one turned out quite poorly as well. The star names in Red Notice look great on paper, but in reality, the chemistry between The Rock and Reynolds just doesn’t work; for every good joke, there are three pretty terrible ones (who on earth wrote those dialogues?!). And Gal Gadot seemed at times like she was not enjoying herself (just look at her overacting). The action can be summed up as "digital chaos." Whether it’s the escape from the Russian prison or the moment with the bull (that was really glaring). The story is one big cliché (which wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t clear that the creators didn’t make much of an effort). It will have viewership; those names will attract the masses, but Red Notice didn’t convince me. 4/10 (11/13/2021)