The new action spy comedy "Red Notice" features a not-so-new plot and an A-list cast including Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds, and Dwayne Johnson. This 2021 film was directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, who has worked with Dwayne Johnson in previous films such as 2018’s "Skyscraper" and 2016’s "Central Intelligence."
If you’ve seen either of the two movies mentioned above, then you’ve seen around half of "Red Notice." This movie has a decent opening scene, showing our main character--FBI Agent John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson)--attempting to catch prominent art thief Nolan Booth (Reynolds). A sleek set-up establishes that Agent Hartley is in cahoots with Booth. In order for Hartley to clear his name and Booth to become the number one art thief again, they join together in order to take down the Bishop (Gal Gadot). They do this by attempting to steal a prized artifact out from under her.
"Red Notice" includes prison breaks, car chases, jungle runs and even a bull fight. But the wide variety of chaotic action scenes makes it clear that this movie doesn’t care about its plot. It really just attempts to go pack in as many action scenes as possible. Reynolds’ character is sharp-tongued and witty, much like his 2016 character Deadpool, but without a lot of Deadpool’s charm. Johnson plays an intense “tough cop” character, a persona he has taken on in many of his earlier films.
Still, "Red Notice" has a lot going for it. The tropes used throughout the movie are funny for the most part, and the movie features the quippy humor that Reynolds is known for. It has good quality action and it is well-shot.
However, this movie has many rough spots after the first 30 minutes. The writers throw in insignificant and ridiculous plot points in the final hour. A lot of the humor falls flat, with only 4-5 jokes really landing. The “big twist” was predictable and did not give me the wow factor it should have. This makes the movie feels incredibly long with a 117 minute runtime.
If you like Ryan Reynolds or Dwayne Johnson, then you would like this movie, as it has their consistent charm throughout it. Even still, "Red Notice" is definitely a “turn your brain off” movie: The comedy and action are entertaining if you turn your brain off and don’t focus on the plot (or lack thereof). This is a movie I’d recommend if you have nothing else going on and need to watch something that will deliver laughs and entertainment, but do not expect something thought-provoking or revolutionary, as you won’t find it here.