Netflix's Top Trending Film, "Red Notice"- Movie Review

Red Notice

Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. Starring Gal Gadot, Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Ritu Arya. Released Nov. 5, 2021. Streaming on Netflix. Rated PG-13

Rating: A

By Erin Fennell

Taking over as the number one trending movie so far this week on Netflix’s Top 10” is “Red Notice”, an action packed, international crime film. This “Ocean’s 11” meets “Den of Thieves” production opens with Behavior Analysis Agent John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson), assisted by agent Urvashi Das (Ritu Arya), on a search for international art thief Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds). In the first scene, Agent Hartley catches Booth after he steals the golden egg of Cleopatra. Before Booth is transported to prison, the egg is placed in a separate van from him, and before the door is sealed, a masked woman is shown swapping the real egg for a fake. Then the vans drive off, with everyone inside clueless.

Thirty-two hours later agent Das finds the fake egg, and all signs point to Agent Hartley to have stolen it. Hartley is arrested and taken to prison, where he finds comical and sarcastic Booth as his cellmate. In the prison, the two begin to talk about “The Bishop '', who is the second most wanted art thief in the world behind Booth. They believe that “The Bishop'' is the one who stole the egg and framed Hartley. It is known that whoever brings a mysterious Egyptian billionaire not just one of Cleopatras’ eggs, but all three, by the date of his daughter's wedding will receive 300 million dollars.

After just one day in prison, the two receive a surprise visit from the one and only “The Bishop'' (Gal Gadot) who seems to have power within the prison and who knows where else. She tells them step by step how she was able to outsmart Booth and framed Hartley. She also reveals that Booth knows where the super-secret hidden third egg is and offers him a deal to help her get it. Booth declines and Hartley and he make a deal of their own. They plan their escape from the maximum-security prison and set off to find all three of Cleopatras’ eggs and capture “The Bishop ''.

This storyline catches the viewer's attention instantly. Movies about thieves can be overplayed, but this one brought a freshness to the plot. Similarly, to the first review I did on the film “Army of Thieves”, this heist film also followed the theme of stealing for the adventure and not purely for the money. The incorporation of the good guy agent and the bad criminal teaming up was a twist that I enjoyed. I also loved how there was a deadline on when the billionaire criminal wanted all three eggs. It made the film feel like a game, and one that had very high stakes.

Hilarious one liner’s stole the show. The script turned this action-packed, seemingly serious, and dangerous plot into a comedy. Lines from Reynolds like “this is farm to table right”, when given prison slop, and “Aw that's fun. This is my best friend”, before Johnson's character punches a guard, creating a lightheartedness to this dramatic story. This is like many of Reynolds films, specifically “Deadpool” and “6 Underground.” Action comedy seems to be his forte, and no one pairs better in those movies than Dwayne Johnson. Johnson has many hits in this same genre, such as “Jumanji”, “Central Intelligence”, “Baywatch", and so on. These two stars could not have been cast better for this genre of film, and both brought a lot to the movie overall. Gadot also had a notable performance. Her role in the "Wonder Woman” franchise translated well into this new character and brought a lot to the film.

Imagery was everything in this film. The incorporation of visual scenes to tell a future or past story/plan made the film more interesting and easier to follow. Being able to see the plan being created, even when it's not happening in front of you, lifts the film to a new level and makes it overall more entertaining.

(Telling story from the prison) (Story being told)

The action scenes were well animated and creative. At one point there was a rocket launcher aimed at Booth’s and Hartley’s helicopter, and right as it was about to hit them, Hartley opened both of the helicopter doors and the missile shot right through the open space and no one was harmed. There was also a lot of gun violence, that ironically seemed to never hit anyone. But it was the thrill and overall excitement that counts.

The ways the characters interacted with each other within the intertwining storylines was exciting to watch. The depth that was given to these characters made them come to life, as well as bringing an intricate element to the storyline. All the characters seemed to fit together in unexpected ways, making this film flow perfectly.

There wasn’t much wrong with this movie. Overall, it was funny and had a lot of good action-packed scenes to keep the viewer visually entertained. The fact that I never really knew what was going to happen next is what drew me in and kept me watching intently through the whole film. I would recommend this movie to anyone that is old enough to watch. It's filled with action, suspense, and is extremely funny, making this the perfect movie for the right occasion.