A One Mann’s Movies review of “Red Notice” (2021).
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Not to be confused with the dire Sky Movies offering “SAS: Red Notice“, this Netflix hit is glossy escapist nonsense that nonetheless entertains.
Plot Summary:
Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds) is a notorious art thief on the trail of Cleopatra’s Eggs: three artefacts of phenomenal value if all found and brought together again as a set. Hot on his heels is agent John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) who has a tip-off from Booth’s primary rival in crime “The Bishop” (Gal Gadot). Johnson pursues Booth to Rome, certain that he will attempt to steal the first egg from a City museum.
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot.
Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber.
Written by: Rawson Marshall Thurber.
“Red Notice” Review:
Positives:
- In the dark depths of winter, having a glossy, high production-value piece of fluff like this feels highly welcome. It’s escapist nonsense. A blend of the style of “Oceans 11” with the flippancy of the “Hitman’s Bodyguard” films. But I found it thoroughly entertaining.
- Gal Gadot – free of the Wonder Woman mantle – seems to be having the time of her life here. As well as being utterly gorgeous (sorry if this appears sexist, but it’s just bloody well a statement of fact), she exhibits a knack for comedy that I’ve not seen before.
- It easily passes the “6 laughs” test for a comedy, with some of the gags being laugh-out-loud funny.
- There are some nice easter eggs in here for film buffs. My favourite (in the ‘jungle bunker’) is a subliminal shot of a crate…. stamped with “Army Intel 9906753” on it. Any takers? (*See below the trailer for the answer)
Negatives:
- Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds are basically playing Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds…. AGAIN! They really both have one note performances! If you like their brand of schtick, then you’ll like this one; if not, you won’t.
Summary Thoughts on “Red Notice”
This currently stands as Netflix’s biggest budget movie released to date, with a whopping budget of $200M. And a lot of that money is on the screen, with an engaging and crowd-pleasing cast and a lot of exotic locations and high production values.
It’s popcorn nonsense. It won’t win any major awards. But it is extremely well done. I enjoyed it a lot.
Trailer for “Red Notice”
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj0wz7zu3Ms.
(* The answer is that this is the stamped crate containing the Ark of the Covenant from “Raiders of the Lost Ark”.)
