Attention: Not for intelligent cinema-goers

★ 1/2 out of ★★★★

Red Notice (2021)

Runtime: 118 minutes 

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for violence and action, some sexual references, and strong language.

From here, everything from the start and the purpose to watch it is undone - All build-ups and chemistry between actors are put into the garbage bin.

Red Notice is rated PG-13 for - as shown on top - violence and action, some sexual references, and strong language. I strongly disagree. There are two F-bombs. Various words involving the words 'shit' and 'dick' as part of the word. Bedroom references. Penis jokes. Erection jokes. I definitely think it's not appropriate for anyone under 13 to watch this movie, so please watch out if you're bringing your five and nine-year-old kid to the cinema.

Here's the plot: FBI top profiler John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) is on a case to hunt and capture the world's most wanted art thief. He successfully catches the thief, Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds), on a heist to steal one of Cleopatra's three eggs. However, a series of events leads to him getting set up by "The Bishop" (Gal Gadot), leading both Hartley and Booth in prison. Hartley and Booth have to come up with a deliberate plan to prevent The Bishop from getting hands on Cleopatra's second egg and eventually the third.

Red Notice is not in a hurry to be over, but I wanted it to be over already. The only thing that probably has to do directly with the title is towards the last few minutes. The three main characters get stamped with the warning 'Red Notice'. Sure, it may entertain audiences with its charismatic stars Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot in action, but it serves as a gimmick to more intelligent and self-aware movie-goers.

This adventure/wannabe Indiana Jones movie also feels slightly entertaining and tense at times, but gets too ridiculous. Some scenes start with a hollow exposition, then a adrenaline-packed action scene, then an awkward silence between characters after they defeat the bad guys. Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds seems to be a peculiar combination, because both of them bounce off each other and encompasses that thought of, 'Oh, you're my partner. Let's work and get this done. Nothing else.' I'm grateful enough to have been reminded by somebody that Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart makes a better team, as seen in Central Intelligence and the Jumanji remakes. See the word 'team' here? It feels more comfortable getting that out of my mouth when I see Johnson and Hart.

Just like other modern superhero and spy movies, Red Notice offered too much of what I had already seen. Towards the final act of the film, it takes inspiration from Raiders of The Lost Ark, but we've already seen better with Ford's irresponsible and entertaining driving skills. Red Notice also tries too much to be a spy thriller, with characters churning out 'intelligent' dialogue. There are several humorous moments and of course, action which entertain light viewers. However, even with a budget of $200 million, some of the CGI feels unbelievable, like when Reynolds' character walks back to his resort and we get to see the scenery of the beach.

However, the worst part of the movie is the final twist. Rawson Marshall Thurber thought that it would be smart to add various twists here and there, but apparently, he has run out of ideas towards the end and tries to extend the runtime by undoing all the build-up and chemistry between Johnson and Reynolds. After this horrifying sight, the movie is stubborn to end. Cleopatra's three eggs are delivered to the billionaire, but the daughter goes nuts over Ed Sheeran performing. Reynolds' character shows up in Johnson and Gadot's cruise several months later and offers them a deal. The film ends with three of them working together. This is the one exception where I felt a predictable ending (i.e. Gadot's character is arrested and the three eggs are returned) worked better.

In the end, I would have liked Red Notice if they tried to balance between action and exposition, or make it consistently and wildly fun. It seems that we are shifting into drab filmmaking, because companies feel the need to churn out soulless blockbusters, but this is an exception. With the twist ending coming, I felt like I just wasted one hour and 48 minutes of my life. That's not including the end credits. I rekindled my 10 minutes and managed to do something more productive, that is, typing this review.

Trailer: