Red Notice
Film | 12A|
GAL GADOT, Dwayne ’The Rock’ Johnson and Ryan Reynolds star in this fairly inoffensive, if slightly dull action comedy from writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, We’re The Millers, Skyscraper). Co-produced by Johnson, the film was originally set to be released by Universal Pictures, but was later acquired by streaming giants Netflix who will be releasing it both online and in cinemas.
When a red notice — the highest level warrant to capture and arrest the world’s most wanted — is issued, the FBI’s top profiler John Hartley (Johnson) is charged with the case. Hartley’s global pursuit finds him in the middle of a daring heist to steal an ancient artefact, suddenly forcing him into a reluctant alliance with quick-witted criminal mastermind Nolan Booth (Reynolds at his acerbic best ) in the hope of catching the world’s most wanted art thief, “The Bishop” (Gadot). Meanwhile, agent Urvashi Das (Ritu Arya) is the badass Interpol agent determined to put the trio behind bars, but first she must second-guess their next moves.
Something about Rawson Marshall Thurber’s film feels almost already too old-fashioned for this post pandemic era. Red Notice can only be described as a crime comedy by numbers.
Casting Reynolds has to be the real stroke of genius here, and is perhaps the only reason why Red Notice works. His delivery, wit and comic-timing are every bit as impeccable as Johnson’s amiable straight guy routine, which often leaves him playing second fiddle to one if the greatest comedy actors of our time.
Gadot is unfortunately saddled with the one-dimensional sexycum-kick-ass female counterpart we’ve seen a million times before. Nevertheless, the much-loved Israeli actor gives a genuinely thrilling performance.
Overall though, clichés abound and the premise is preposterous.