Movie: Red Notice

This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.

Stolen Goods

Plot Overview

Alfred Hitchcock was wont to use a device he called a MacGuffin, being any item meaning­less in itself but that serves to move the plot along. “Red Notice” concerns the theft and/or discovery of three jewel-encrusted eggs that Anthony had anciently gifted to his lovely Cleopatra. One is on public display, one is in a private collection, and one is missing. A multi-billionaire has offered a king's ransom for delivery of said eggs by his daughter's wedding date. Her name is Cleopatra. She'll receive plenty of attention irrespective of any stolen goods, so the audience doesn't really care, but it sure furthers the plot.

Masterminding their acquisition is one Sarah “The Bishop” (Gal Gadot) nicknamed after the chess piece. She's mysterious and stays mostly in the back­ground. The front man/fall guy is art thief Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds.) He's the object of an Interpol-issued red notice: a global alert to hunt & capture the world's most wanted. He has a penchant for breaking out of prison. He is pursued by female, Interpol Inspector Urvashi Das (Ritu Arya,) FBI profiler Special Agent John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson,) and the Italian Polizia—for starters. Truth be told, Hartley doesn't look like a profiler working some desk job; he looks like The Rock, but what do I know about profiling? Regardless, it behooves the audience to stay on their toes, because things aren't always as they seem.

Ideology

After capturing Booth, Inspector Das has multiple options where to send him away according to many countries' warrants, so she has him locked up in “the land due process forgot.” The closest I'm familiar with in fiction is from a story courtesy Ted Bell of one “held prisoner at a high-security Siberian KGB facility, Jasna Polana …. British spies even had a nick­name for it, stolen from a spy tale by American author Nelson DeMille: The Charm School” (17–18.) Perhaps he can polish up his charm.

Special Agent Hartley gets himself arrested as well when a recovered egg he's responsible for disappears in transit. He claims to have been framed, but he finds him­self locked up in The Charm School, too. He is thrown into the same cell with Booth. Mighty convenient for potentially over­hearing him divulge the where­abouts of that third egg. But never look a gift horse in the mouth. This place makes escape well nigh impossible. If one needs a partner to succeed, he could do a whole lot worse than The Rock. Booth can pilot the helicopter and Hartley can man the missile defense. Then partnering up they can become “work­wives” à la (Eccl. 4:9-12) “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall with­stand him; and a three­fold cord is not quickly broken.”

Production Values

“” (2021) was written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. It stars Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot. Acting was adequate for an action movie w/a preposterous plot.

MPAA rated it PG–13 for violence and action, some sexual references, and strong language. It sported inter­national, scenic back­drops, a twisted plot, and beaucoup action. Clichés abound. It's about 2 hours long.

Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation

“Red Notice” makes popcorn entertainment out of a heist drama. The jokes are off­beat funny and the action relentless. If you want thrills and mixed roles, this is it.

Movie Ratings

Action factor: Edge of your seat action. Suitability for Children: Suitable for children 13+ years with guidance. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Fit For a Friday Evening. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.

Works Cited

Scripture is quoted from the King James Version. Pub. 1611, rev. 1769. Software.

Bell, Ted. Phantom. Copyright © 2012 by Theodore A. Bell. New York: HarperCollins Pub., First Edition. Print.

Lions den picture is copyright © Sweet Publishing. Licensed by FreeBibleimages. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.