Movie Review - Red Notice

Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Comedy
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot, Rita Arya, Chris Diamantopoulos

Description: An interpol agent (Dwayne Johnson) tracks the world’s most wanted art thief (Ryan Reynolds).

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 48: AN ADVENTURE MOVIE
 
Review: “Red Notice” is not only an action comedy starring big stars Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds, but it also has the signature renowned comedy director Rawson Marshall Thurber. Add to the fact that the budget for this film is insanely high for a production from a streaming platform. And sky-high expectations were created. Sadly, it didn’t meet those expectations.
The central heist story has many recognizable elements. There is an ancient mythical work of art: the third golden egg of Cleopatra. No one knows exactly where it is, let alone whether it is entirely certain to exist at all. Some wealthy underworld figure must and will have this shiny gem and has put a ridiculous price tag on it. For master thieves such as the extremely sarcastic Nolan Booth, played by the ever sarcastic Ryan Reynolds, a prime opportunity to score a treasure of reputation.
Although Booth is successful enough in his job to have his entire Balinese home filled with world-famous art, he is constantly trounced in his greatest moments by an archenemy. This is a thief who regularly outsmarts him and is considered the most wanted art thief in the world: The Bishop. The hunt for the golden egg naturally degenerates into a spectacular quest, in which Booth finds an unlikely accomplice in FBI agent John Hartley. Indeed, the two share a desire to see The Bishop disappear from the scene. Exactly how this works in policy or legal terms, the film covers with the cloak of comedy.
More importantly, the pairing of this unusual twosome should make for a funny dynamic. Set against the backdrop of a Roman museum, a Russian prison or a Spanish bull-fighting arena, this makes for lighthearted jokes and witty one-liners. That this works with these tow actors can hardly be a surprise. Unfortunately, this premise, Ryan Reynolds forming an unlikely duo with a gruff antagonist and constantly being buffoonish, sarcastic and bland, does feel familiar by now. Recent comedies like “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” and of course “Deadpool” are examples of this. In “Red Notice” it’s getting old. At first funny, but it quickly becomes too routine and overused.
“Red Notice” has a great cast, but the movie is kind of bland. It’s all been done before, much before too. The film tries to be surprising by adding a plot twist at the end, which an average moviegoer already could have expected earlier on the movie. Which didn’t make the movie better. There are much better films on Netflix you can check out right now. A perfect popcorn flick, but very forgettable.

Rating: 2,5/ 5