The actors are good. Cox is at the top of his game. The story not that original. Some scenes in the movie put you in a room with no explanation as to why the characters are there. The relationship(?) between Cox and the reporter doesn't jell. But Cox is enough to make one watch.
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Well-Made Effective Drama
Added 6/2/2009
Being somewhat familiar with Ketchum's work, I was expecting something a bit more over-the-top. In a short interview in the Special Features section of the DVD, lead actor Brian Cox mentions Ketchum's reputation among horror circles and notes that this story, while including some horrific elements, is essentially a drama, rather than a horror genre piece. Cox is right on the money, and I was not disappointed in the slightest.
Red is far more than a basic story of revenge. The lead character suffers the loss of his long-time canine companion at the hands of teenage thugs. Rather than fly off the handle, the isolated Avery solemnly, yet insistently merely asks for the boys to acknowledge their misdeed and apologize. Unfortunately for everyone involved (except us viewers of the film), no such resolution is in the cards. Things go from bad to worse, and while Avery maintains a relatively cool head throughout, slow to anger, the pacing works just fine and I credit the co-directors with a superior job of effective storytelling.
The cast is very good, with veteran actors Amanda Plummer, Robert Englund, Tom Sizemore, and Kim Dickens among others, but this is solidly Brian Cox's film and he delivers memorably, in what is one of his best performances.
From casting to writing to directing, Red is a very solid Indie drama that I would recommend not just to fans of Jack Ketchum's novels, but to anyone who appreciates a well told story.
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This was really a surprise--I don't know why there wasn't more box office action. Recommended by a friend and loved it.
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Fast delivery and Great Service
Added 3/29/2009
Wow, if you want to show your kids the consequences of a lie then this is A MUST SEE!!! SIMPLE BUT GREAT MOVIE.
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Goes too far off the deep end
Added 3/3/2009
It's a small movie with an even smaller story that starts out appropriately minute enough, but becomes ridiculously overblown by the end. "Red" is the name of the protagonist's beloved dog in this film and he is the source of pretty much all of the conflict. While fishing one day, Red's elderly owner Ludlow is confronted by three delinquents who are out looking for trouble anywhere they can find it. Their leader is Danny (played by Noel Fisher from the FX channel's "The Riches"), and after some harassment of Ludlow who tries to maintain his cool he abruptly shoots his pet right in front of him.
The remorseless Danny, his brother, and friend leave Ludlow to mourn over the brutal killing of Red, sparking a passionate desire for justice and vengeance within the old man. I suppose this passion makes sense, at least initially, as it is revealed that Red was a gift from his late wife and his last lingering tie to the best days of his past.
While the movie begins as a sort of portrayal of how even wayward youth can be cruel and cold-hearted enough to kill a defenseless animal and threaten its elderly owner, it quickly begins to focus upon Red's plight to see justice served and Danny and his followers penalized for their actions. Of course, Ludlow is stonewalled at every turn, in large part by Danny's wealthy, one generation removed from white trash father who refuses to believe that his son has committed such an unprovoked and twisted crime. Or more likely he does believe it but does not care to have his son take responsibility for it. So a frustrated Ludlow begins following Danny around town, the tension rising with each confrontation.
At first we root for Ludlow and can't wait to see Danny and his cowardly follower of a brother pay the price for shooting an innocent dog in the head. But by the 3rd act a funny thing happens. It becomes very difficult, almost impossible to remain fully on Ludlow's side, and the whole story shifts into nonsensical territory. Ludlow begins to harass Danny and his family as much as they harass him, and while this seems as if it would be satisfying to watch, it actually makes Ludlow seem a little crazy. In fact, he almost seems like a far older version of Danny by the climax of the film.
It also becomes harder to empathize with the protagonist because he doesn't seem to care who gets caught in the crossfire in his vendetta against Danny and his father, including the younger brother who turns out to be remorseful and an all around good kid.
And get caught in the crossfire he does. Literally.
The end of the movie is like an old western shoot out, this following Ludlow kidnapping Danny at gunpoint and attempting to make him drive to the police station. Of course, all this only happens after Ludlow decides to bring the very decomposed, worm and maggot infested corpse of Red to the front porch of Danny's home. I believe he was attempting to make a statement here, but he really just came off as an old man who had finally lost his bearings after years of internalizing pain, and a few days of dealing human scum.
The end of this movie left me scratching my head and kind of feeling sorry for what becomes of a certain character who, in all honesty, seemed nearly as innocent as the dog Red did in the beginning. But Ludlow certainly didn't seem to care, and that, in turn, made it hard for me to care about him. There is something dark and twisted and not quite right about this movie. Its morals seem scrambled. It seems to be asking whether we should root for the older nut who doesn't care who or what he has to walk on to get "justice" or if we should root for the younger nut who doesn't care who or what he has to hurt to get a few cheap thrills. Neither one of these characters seems exactly sane. All this madness over a dog. Or perhaps the madness was already nestled deep within the psyche of these characters to begin with.
I will say that the acting was good in this movie. The story is what brings it down.
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