Red 

(2010 film)
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Not to be confused with Red (2008 film).

Red

Theatrical release poster

Directed by Robert Schwentke

 Jon Hoeber
Written by
 Erich Hoeber

Based on Red

by 

 Warren Ellis

 Cully Hamner

Produced by  Lorenzo di Bonaventura

 Mark Vahradian

Starring  Bruce Willis

 Morgan Freeman

 John Malkovich

 Mary-Louise Parker
  Helen Mirren

 Karl Urban

 Rebecca Pidgeon

 Brian Cox

 Richard Dreyfuss

 Julian McMahon

 Ernest Borgnine

 James Remar

Cinematography Florian Ballhaus

Edited by Thom Noble

Music by Christophe Beck

Production Di Bonaventura Pictures[1]

company

Distributed by Summit Entertainment[1]

Release dates  September 29, 2010 (Fantastic Fest)

 October 15, 2010 (United States)

Running time 111 minutes

Country United States

Language English

Budget $60 million[2]

Box office $199 million[3]

Red is a 2010 American action comedy film loosely inspired by the Homage

Comics limited series of the same name. Produced by Di Bonaventura Pictures and
distributed by Summit Entertainment, it is the first film in the Red series. Directed
by Robert Schwentke and written by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber, it stars Bruce
Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban and Mary-Louise
Parker, alongside Rebecca Pidgeon, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Julian
McMahon, Ernest Borgnine, and James Remar. Red follows Frank Moses (Willis), a
former black-ops agent who reunites with his old team to capture an assassin who
has vowed to kill him.
The film was released on October 15, 2010. It received generally positive reviews
from critics and grossed $199 million worldwide, and also received a Golden
Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. A sequel, Red 2,
was released on July 19, 2013. A third film was announced as in-development in
2013 but did not come to fruition.[4]

Contents
  1Plot
 2Cast
 3Production
 4Release
 5Reception
o 5.1Box office
o 5.2Critical response
o 5.3Accolades
 6Sequel
 7References
 8External links

Plot[edit]
Former CIA black ops agent Frank Moses lives a quiet life in the suburbs and
creates opportunities to talk to pension call center employee Sarah Ross. An
assassination squad attempts to kill Frank, but he single-handedly kills the entire
squad and drives to Sarah's house to protect her. Sarah refuses to leave with Frank
so he kidnaps her. CIA agent William Cooper is tasked by his corrupt boss Cynthia
to kill Frank.
Frank ties up Sarah in a Louisiana motel room while he visits his former mentor Joe
at a retirement home for help identifying the squad. He learns the same squad
murdered a newspaper reporter in New York. Sarah gets loose and calls 9-1-1,
accidentally alerting Cooper to her location. Frank saves her. Cooper chases them in
a car but they escape to New York City to investigate the reporter who was killed.
They find a list of names the reporter was investigating, almost all of whom have
recently died. Frank calls Joe but is told Joe has been killed.
Frank and Sarah find retired agent Marvin Boggs in Florida, whose name is on the
list. Marvin finds all the names on the list are connected to a secret 1981 mission in
Guatemala. The three track down pilot Gabriel Singer who flew the mission. He
helps Frank and Marvin remember the mission but is killed by a sniper in a
helicopter. Frank, Marvin, and Sarah escape. Frank secures the help of retired FSB
agent Ivan Simanov in exchange for a favor, and with Sarah infiltrates the Secure
Records Vault at the CIA to obtain the Guatemala file. The records keeper tells
Frank that Cooper pulled his file, so Frank pays Cooper a surprise visit in his office.
Frank dislocates Cooper's shoulder and Cooper shoots and wounds Frank. Frank
and Sarah find Marvin being held at gunpoint by Joe, who survived the attack at the
retirement home. The group seeks help from retired British assassin Victoria
Winslow, who stitches Frank's wound and joins the group as they decide to meet
with Alexander Dunning, an arms dealer who is the only name left on the list still
alive besides Frank and Marvin.
Joe meets with Dunning posing as an African warlord wanting to purchase weapons.
Dunning reveals the killings were ordered by the Vice President of the US to cover
up the VP's mass killing of innocent villagers in Guatemala. Meanwhile, Cooper
receives a tip leading him to Dunning's mansion where he confronts Frank. Joe
sacrifices his life to help Frank and Marvin escape but Sarah is captured by Cooper.
Frank breaks into Cooper's house while his family is there and calls Cooper, saying
he intends to kill the VP and if Sarah is harmed he will kill Cooper's family.
Finding the Guatemala file Frank left for him, Cooper realizes that he's being used in
the coverup and has himself assigned to the VP's security detail. The group kidnap
the VP from a fundraising dinner but Victoria is shot and is rescued by Ivan. Frank
calls Cooper and arranges to trade the VP for Sarah. Cooper, Cynthia, and Dunning
bring Sarah and meet with Frank. Dunning shoots the VP and offers to make Cooper
CIA Director if Cooper kills Frank and Sarah. Cooper instead kills Cynthia while
Frank charges Dunning and kills him. Frank and Sarah reunite and Cooper tells them
all to leave and that he will clean up the situation.
The group leaves in Ivan's car and Ivan cashes in his favor from Frank. Sarah insists
she go along with Frank and Marvin to deal with an issue in Moldova. Frank and
Marvin are then shown fleeing Moldovan troops with a stolen nuclear device.

Cast[edit]
 Bruce Willis as Frank Moses, a former CIA black
ops agent. Moses is forced into retirement and
tagged R.E.D. (Retired, Extremely Dangerous).
He has trouble adjusting to civilian life and still
longs for action.
 Morgan Freeman as Joe Matheson, Frank's
mentor at the CIA. Joe has terminal cancer and
lives in a retirement community in Louisiana.
 John Malkovich as Marvin Boggs, a retired CIA
agent who was given LSD daily for years as part
of illegal agency experiments. Marvin is
extremely paranoid and convinced that the
government is constantly trying to kill him.
 Helen Mirren as Victoria Winslow, a
retired MI6 assassin who now operates
a B&B while still taking contracts on the side.
 Karl Urban as William Cooper, a CIA black ops
agent who is tasked with killing Frank.
 Mary-Louise Parker as Sarah Ross, a call center
employee and Frank's love interest. She is stuck
in a boring job and yearns to travel and have
adventures.
 Rebecca Pidgeon as Cynthia Wilkes, Cooper's
supervisor at the CIA. Wilkes is secretly in league
with Alexander Dunning and uses Cooper to help
Dunning cover up the VP's war crimes.
 Brian Cox as Ivan Simanov, a retired FSB agent
who works for the Russian embassy. He is still in
love with Victoria even after she shot him in the
chest.
 Richard Dreyfuss as Alexander Dunning, an arms
trafficker who uses his CIA connections to help
the Vice President cover up his crimes.
  Julian McMahon as Vice President Robert
Stanton. Stanton intends to run for president and
uses Alexander Dunning to cover up his war
crimes.
 Ernest Borgnine as Henry, the CIA records
keeper.
 James Remar as Gabriel Singer, a
retired Marine helicopter pilot who participated in
the Guatemala coverup.

Production[edit]
Gregory Noveck, a representative of DC Comics working in Hollywood to get their
titles made into films, wanted the comic developed, but Warner Bros. was not
interested. The creators of the comic exercised their right to go elsewhere, but this
required approval from all divisions of Warner Bros., including television, before it
could be approved. After several years, in 2008, Noveck was allowed to take the
project to Mark Vahradian at Di Bonaventura Productions. Unusually, this made it the
first film from DC not produced by Warner Bros., after the purchase. [5]
In June 2008, Summit Entertainment announced plans to adapt Warren Ellis and
Cully Hamner's Red. Red was adapted for the big screen by brothers Erich and Jon
Hoeber, who also wrote the adaptations of Whiteout and Alice. The project was
produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura (GI Joe, Transformers).[6]
By April 2009, Bruce Willis was reportedly in discussions with Summit to take the
starring role of Frank Moses.[7] It was reported in July 2009 that Morgan Freeman
was in talks to co-star alongside Willis in the film. [8] Also in July 2009, Robert
Schwentke, the director of The Time Traveler's Wife and Flightplan, was in
negotiations to direct Red.[9] In August 2009, Schwentke confirmed to MTV News that
he was on board. He stated that he loved the script, but differences existed between
the comic and the movie, stating; "It's very funny, which the comic book isn't ... It's
not as violent as the comic book," and "The script that I've read is obviously different
from the comic, because I don't think the comic gives you enough for a two-hour
movie."[10]
In November 2009, Helen Mirren was reported to be engaged to work alongside
Freeman and Willis in the film.[11] Also in November 2009, John C. Reilly and Mary-
Louise Parker were in negotiations to join the cast. Reilly would play a retired CIA
agent who is paranoid that everyone is out to kill him. Parker would play the romantic
interest, a federal pension worker who becomes embroiled in the Willis character's
struggle to stay alive.[12] In the same month, Julian McMahon, Ernest
Borgnine, Richard Dreyfuss, and Brian Cox entered negotiations to join the cast.[13]
In December 2009, creator Warren Ellis stated on his mailing list: "Read
the RED script. Not bad. Not the book, but not bad. Funny. Especially when you
know the casting. Very tight piece of work. Talked to the producers last week.
They're all kind of giddy over the casting coups. Who wouldn't want to see Helen
Mirren with a sniper rifle?"[14] Also in December 2009 Summit Entertainment
announced a release date of October 22, 2010. [15] The same month, James
Remar was cast in an unspecified role,[16] in addition to Karl Urban as "Cooper".[17] In
January 2010, reportedly John Malkovich had signed to star opposite Bruce Willis,
replacing John C. Reilly, who exited the role in late December. [18]
Principal photography began on January 18, 2010, in Toronto, Canada.[19] Red was
shot in and around the Toronto metropolitan area for nine weeks before moving on to
the road and ending in New Orleans in late March for the final two weeks of principal
photography.[19] Filming in the French Quarter of New Orleans commenced in March
2010.[20] Additional photography was shot for a post-credits scene in Louisiana in
August 2010.[21]

Release[edit]

Mirren and Willis at a panel for the film at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2010

The film premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on October 11,

2010.[22] Red was released on Blu-ray and DVD on January 25, 2011.[23] The film was
released by Summit Entertainment in the US and Entertainment One in the UK.
[24]
 Lionsgate Home Entertainment later released it on Ultra HD Blu-ray on September
5, 2017.[25]

Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
On its opening weekend, Red earned an estimated $22.5 million on around 4,100
screens at 3,255 locations, coming in second behind Jackass 3-D.[26] The film closed
in theaters on February 3, 2011, grossing $90 million in the United States, and
$108.6 million in foreign markets, for a worldwide gross of $199 million. [3]
Critical response[edit]
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 72% based on 213 reviews,
with an average rating of 6.40/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "It may not be
the killer thrill ride you'd expect from an action movie with a cast of this caliber,
but Red still thoroughly outshines most of its big-budget counterparts with its wit and
style."[27] Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 60 out of 100 based 38
critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[28] Audiences polled
by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. [29]
Justin Chang of Variety stated Red is "An amusing, light-footed caper about a team
of aging CIA veterans rudely forced out of retirement". [30] John DeFore of The
Hollywood Reporter stated "Although tailor-made for genre fans, it benefits from
flavors of humor and romance that keep its appeal from being fanboy-only". [31]
Roger Ebert gave the film two stars out of four, stating that it is "neither a good movie
nor a bad one. It features actors that we like doing things we wish were more
interesting."[32] A. O. Scott of The New York Times said, "It is possible to have a good
time at Red, but it is not a very good movie. It doesn't really try to be, and given the
present state of the Hollywood economy, this may be a wise choice". [33] Kenneth
Turan of the Los Angeles Times said, "It's not that it doesn't have effective moments,
it's that it doesn't have as many as it thinks it does. The film's inescapable air of glib
self-satisfaction is not only largely unearned, it's downright irritating". [34]
Accolades[edit]
Year Award Category

IGN Summer Movie Award Best Comic Book Adaptation

Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

2010
Satellite Award Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

2011 Golden Globe Award[35] Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

Breakthrough Achievement
Movies for Grownups Award
Best Comedy

Actress Defying Age and Ageism

Best Female Action Star

EDA Female Focus Award
Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Film Industry

Women's Image Award

Artios Award Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Big Budget Feature - C

 Year Award Category

Best Action or Adventure Film

Saturn Award Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Critics' Choice Award Best Action Movie
NAACP Image Award Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Best Thriller
Best Supporting Actress
Scream Award
Best Ensemble
Fight Scene of the Year

Sequel[edit]
Main article: Red 2 (film)
The film's financial success surpassed producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura's
expectations.[36][37] In October 2011, Summit Entertainment officially announced
that Red 2 would be released on August 2, 2013, with Jon and Erich Hoeber rehired
to write the screenplay.[38] In March 2013, the film's release date was moved from
August 2, 2013 to July 19, 2013.[39] The sequel fared worse than its predecessor both
critically and financially. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed
$148.1 million worldwide.

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b "RED (2010)". AFI Catalog of Feature
Films. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
2. ^ Fritz, Ben (October 14, 2010).  "Movie Projector: Bruce
Willis gunning for Johnny Knoxville as 'RED' opens
against 'Jackass 3-D'".  Los Angeles Times.
Retrieved October 16, 2010.  The studio spent about $60
million to make "RED" after tax credits
3. ^ Jump up to:a b "RED (2010)". Box Office Mojo.
Amazon.com. Retrieved  March 25,  2011.
4. ^ Red 3 in the Works at Summit (Exclusive).
Hollywoodreporter.com (2013-05-17). Retrieved on 2017-
04-02.
5. ^ Kit, Borys (October 13, 2010).  "Secret Origin: How
'RED' escaped Warner Bros. and ended up at
Summit". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the
original on November 14, 2010. Retrieved  January
29,  2011.
6. ^ "Warren Ellis' Red and Ocean Headed to the Big
Screen". /Film. June 12, 2008. Archived from  the
original on November 6, 2010. Retrieved  January
19,  2010.
7. ^ "Bruce Willis is living hard". Risky Business. April 29,
2009. Archived from the original  on January 5, 2013.
Retrieved January 20, 2010.
8. ^ "Morgan Freeman Joins The Big Screen Adaptation of
Warren Ellis' Red".  /Film. July 19, 2009. Archived
from  the original on September 9, 2012.
Retrieved January 19, 2010.
9. ^ "Director closes in on 'Red'". The Hollywood Reporter.
July 28, 2009. Archived from  the original on September
1, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
10. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Robert Schwentke's 'Red' Adaptation To
Be A 'Funny' Take On Warren Ellis' Story". MTV Splash
Page. August 4, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2010.
11. ^ "Casting Notes: Alan Cumming in Burlesque; Mirren
Does Espionage; Dempsey Steals Laughs; Weaver and
Shawkat Hit Cedar Rapids". /Film. November 4, 2009.
Archived from  the original on September 11, 2012.
Retrieved January 19, 2010.
12. ^ "John C. Reilly, Mary-Louise Parker seeing 'Red'".  The
Hollywood Reporter. November 4, 2009. Archived
from  the original on November 8, 2009.
Retrieved January 19, 2010.
13. ^ "Julian McMahon sees 'Red'".  The Hollywood Reporter.
November 12, 2009. Archived from the original  on
February 26, 2010. Retrieved  January 19,  2010.
14. ^ Warren Ellis  (November 30, 2009).  "BAD SIGNAL
Ungh". Archived from  the original on January 29, 2010.
Retrieved January 19, 2010.
15. ^ "Red Gets 2010 Release Date".  /Film. December 17,
2009. Archived from the original  on May 23, 2010.
Retrieved January 19, 2010.
16. ^ Justin Kroll (December 14, 2009). "James
Remar". Variety. Retrieved  January 20,  2010.
17. ^ Rob M. Worley (December 21, 2009).  "TREK Doc cast
in RED". mania.com. Archived from  the original on
December 24, 2009. Retrieved  January 20,  2010.
18. ^ "John Malkovich signs on for 'Red'". The Hollywood
Reporter. January 10, 2010. Archived from the original  on
January 14, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
19. ^ Jump up to:a b "Red Begins Principal
Photography".  /Film. January 18, 2010. Archived from the
original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved January
18,  2010.
20. ^ "Bruce Willis begins shooting "Red"". April 23, 2010.
Archived from  the original on April 23, 2010.
Retrieved January 16, 2019.
21. ^ "Willis, Malkovich head south for quick 'Red' shoot
(exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. August 19, 2010.
Archived from  the original on August 23, 2010.
Retrieved August 23, 2010.
22. ^ "'Red,' LA Premiere". Access Hollywood. October 12,
2010. Retrieved  January 18,  2011.
23. ^ "RED - Official Movie Website". Red-themovie.com.
Archived from  the original on January 28, 2011.
Retrieved January 31, 2011.
24. ^ "RED | British Board of Film
Classification".  www.bbfc.co.uk. Retrieved  May 30, 2020.
25. ^ RED and RED 2 4K Blu-ray, retrieved  July 7,  2022
26. ^ Gray, Brandon (October 17, 2010). "'Jackass' Crashes
Into Fall Record".  Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com.
Retrieved October 18, 2010.
27. ^ "Red (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media.
Retrieved July 15, 2021.
 28. ^ "Red (2010): Reviews".  Metacritic. CBS Interactive.
Retrieved April 26, 2020.
29. ^ "CinemaScore". Archived from  the original on July 22,
2018. Retrieved  November 9, 2018.
30. ^ Chang, Justin (September 29, 2010).  "Red".  Variety.
Retrieved October 6, 2010.
31. ^ John DeFore (September 29, 2010). "Red -- Film
Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved  October
21,  2010.
32. ^ Roger Ebert (October 13,
2010). "Red". rogerebert.com.  Chicago Sun Times.
Retrieved October 14, 2010.
33. ^ A. O. Scott (October 14, 2010).  "Who Ya Callin'
Gramps, Junior?". The New York Times.
Retrieved August 15, 2012.
34. ^ Kenneth Turan (October 15, 2010).  "Movie review:
'Red'".  Los Angeles Times. Retrieved  August 15,  2012.
35. ^ "The 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards
NOMINATIONS | OFFICIAL WEBSITE of the HFPA and
the GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS". Goldenglobes.org.
December 14, 2010. Retrieved  January 31,  2011.
36. ^ Kit, Borys (November 17, 2011).  "Summit Pulls the
Trigger on 'RED' Sequel". The Hollywood
Reporter.  Archived  from the original on October 26, 2012.
Retrieved January 18, 2011.
37. ^ Rosenberg, Adam (January 26, 2011).  "'RED' Sequel
Confirmed, Screenwriters Returning". MTV
News.  Viacom. Archived from the original  on August 31,
2012. Retrieved  January 26,  2011.
38. ^ Wigler, Josh (October 26, 2011).  "'Red 2' Targets
August 2013 Release, Plot Revealed".  MTV
News.  Viacom.  Archived  from the original on June 12,
2012. Retrieved  May 11, 2012.
39. ^ Lesnick, Silas (March 11, 2013).  "Summit Moves RED
2 Up to July 19".  Superhero Hype.  Archived  from the
original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2013.

External links[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Red (2010 film).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Red (2010 film).

 Official website
 Red at IMDb 
 Red at AllMovie
 Red at Box Office Mojo
 Red at Rotten Tomatoes
 Red at the TCM Movie Database
 Red at TV Guide
show
 Live-action films based on DC Comics

show

Films directed by Robert Schwentke

Categories: 
 2010 films
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 Red (WildStorm)
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