The Mosley Review: Red Notice
Ya know, the heist film genre hasn't really had a film to revitalize it the way it should be. We've had films like Den of Thieves, Triple Frontier or even Good Time that are fantastic in their own right, but it seems that films like those are always too far and between. We've gone for the more dramatic, tension filled and slow burn approach to the story instead of just a fun action film. Well this film decided to go against the curent grain of heist films and tried to tell a fun, globe trotting adventure and for the most part it worked. I liked the constant game of cat and mouse, but something was truly missing to make this film more memorable. I appreciated the style of action and the certain charm about it, but if you were looking for something that would knock you off your feet with an amazing twist you didn't see coming, then look somewhere else. I hate it when a story shows its hand so early and then tries to be clever in the end after already showing you the full deck.
Dwayne Johnson leads this film as the Agent John Hartley and he's exactly what you'd expect. He delivers his standard action hero stoicism in each scene, but doesn't do anything performance wise that is special. Ryan Reynolds is the famous thief Nolan Booth and he was fun when he wasn't constantly dropping quips. Ryan was basically his comedic self in this film and he was a mixed bag of fun and annoyance. There are some genuinely hilarious moments but after while. you realize that he's just there for the jokes. Gal Gadot was stunning and fun as The Bishop. She really gave off the "Carmen San Diego" vibe as Hartley and Booth race to beat her to the main heist of the story. All three of the leads were fun to watch on screen together and had excellent chemistry. Chris Diamantopoulos chewed up the scenery he had as the villainous Sotto Voce. He may not be the main objective, but his commitment was deliberate.
The score by Steve Jablonsky was good and adventure fueled. It's not as memorable as some of his past work, but it gets the job done in keeping the tension fueled and the action fun. The score almost had a few influences from the Bond films of late if you ask me. Visually the film was great to look at and the cinematography really pops in the third act of the film. As far as heist action adventure films go, this one was a perfect film to be released on a streaming service and not on the big screen. If you want something that is fun, doesn’t take itself too seriously and reminds you of the late 90's to early 2000's adventure films, then this is for you. Its not gonna be a memorable film, just a fun one. The Netflix Original is currently streaming. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
