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Red Notice (2021) Review

Globally Mediocre

SCORE: 42/100

Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds

Synopsis: An FBI agent tracks the world's most wanted art thieves as they're both out to steal a priceless set of historical artifacts.


****BEWARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD****


REVIEW:

I had no idea that Red Notice existed until I saw it trending on Netflix. Since it was a "major" release for them, I decided to check it out. What I can report is a sub-standard adventure-heist film with type-cast actors and predictable story beats.

Riding the predictable train is the cast. Dwayne Johnson plays your typical Dwayne Johnson character, and Ryan Reynolds just plays himself. While I enjoy these two actors usually, I feel that their usual schticks get more tired here, and the actors' own personality is supposed to make the characters seem better written. I'd like to know how much of the script was improvised. Gal Gadot is the only really enjoyable person here, and her character is the best written, but it doesn't feel like its pushing the boundaries of her acting talent. 

Speaking of writing, it really feels like they crammed in some story ideas as the movies progresses. It felt more like Netflix said "We have beautiful people, so let's put them in cool locations. We'll worry about story later." It really feels like a loose assortment of situations that have a loose thread connecting them. For example, there's a situation that takes place underneath a Matador arena for no reason other than to have Johnson and Reynolds have to face off with a bull for a few minutes. A lot of it is pointless and totally for flavor. Director/Writer Rawson Marshall Thurber clearly has a love for films like Ocean's Eleven, Indiana Jones, and other similar action adventure films. It shows through the locations, moments, and characters. It's respectable, but I feel too many of these inspirations were channeled without giving proper thought into how the film should be different. 

The cinematography is good for the most part, with the chase sequence in the museum in the first 20 minutes being a highlight since it used a brand new technology. It essentially strapped a typical movie camera that was the size of a GoPro onto a racing drone. It allows the director to get some really interesting and unique-looking shots and angles that I haven't seen before. 

Another positive are the action sequences. While not necessarily groundbreaking (except the previously stated museum sequence) they are a lot of fun. It's nice to see Johnson and Reynolds getting their butts kicked by Gal Gadot, or watching a car chase that felt reminiscent of Indiana Jones. And while the actors' schticks get tiring, they add a nice bit of flavor to the action sequences. 

Red Notice is fun, but not enough to differentiate it from the rest of Netflix's mediocre action films. There are some fans that will enjoy it, but when looked at through a critical lens it starts to fall apart. 

Final Thought: While Red Notice is fun, it sadly fails to provide an interesting story and uses the actor's personalities more than it does writing interesting characters.

Score: 42/100

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