Movie review: Red Notice

 Hunting the world's most notorious art thief, Booth, FBI profiler Hartley realizes he must team up with the criminal to catch an even more elusive crook who seems to always be one step ahead.

Dwayne Johnson (Hartley), Ryan Reynolds (Booth), Gal Gadot (Bishop), Ritu Arya (Inspector Das), Chris Diamantopoulous (Voce), Ivan Mbakop (Tambwe), Vincenzo Amato (Gallo), Rafael Petardi (Ricci).

Red Notice is the silly fun that happens when you put three big name actors together who all enjoy a few good laughs. Hartley is on the hunt for notorious art thief Booth when they are both double-crossed by Bishop. Teaming up, the two set out to take Bishop down giving Booth the art he desires and Hartley the arrest he is seeking. The result is an action adventure with more than a few laughs and a storyline that moves long well up through the Happy Ever After ending.

Acting was enjoyable with Johnson, Reynolds, and Gadot all delivering very well and appearing to work well together. Arya and Diamantopoulous both did nicely and brought a bit more depth, while the remainder of the supporting cast was solid and enjoyable.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are nicely done with just enough detail given the genre. Action scenes and visual effects are nicely done and integrated together well. Dialogue is a lot of fun with some good laughs and nice subtle humor. Sound and soundtrack were good.

Overall Red Notice is quite simply; fun. The film remains light and casual with good laughs while moving the storyline along at a nice pace. Those who enjoy fun action comedy should enjoy this one.

With some mild sexuality, some violence, foul language, and a few crude references, this should be fine for teens and above.

Released: 2021
Reviewed: 12.20.21
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Action, Comedy, Thriller, Adventure

copyright ©2021 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Army of Thieves

 In this Army of the Dead prequel, German safecracker Dieter is recruited by a mysterious woman to crack three notorious safes across Europe just as the zombie apocalypse begins.

Matthias Schweighofer (Dieter), Nathalie Emmanuel (Starr), Ruby Fee (Korina), Stuart Martin (Brad), Guz Khan (Rolph), Jonathan Cohen (Delacroix), Noemie Nakai (Beatrix), Christian Steyer (Wagner).

Army of Thieves begins well, showing us a bit of Dieter's life and how he was recruited for the biggest safe-cracking heist in history. With Dieter now a part of the gang and the heist execution underway, the film develops more depth and begins hinting at the upcoming zombie apocalypse. As the suspense intensifies so does the action, and plot depth continues to grow through the fitting ending which adds nicely to the original film.

Acting was good with Schweighofer delivering nicely and maturing well through the film. Emmanual also contributed well and seemed to work well with others. Fee was solid and entertaining as usual, as was Martin and Khan. Cohen gave a solid performance and the remainder of the supporting cast was good.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are nicely done with good variety, use of natural scenery, and an overall solid feel. Action scenes fit the film nicely and added well. Dialogue was good with nice movement and depth, though captions were appreciated due to some of the heavier accents. Sound and soundtrack are nicely managed.

Overall Army of Thieves is a very good sequel to Army of the Dead, yet stands alone as a solid film as well. The storyline is fairly unique and holds interest well. Acting and technical work are well done leading the film to flow nicely from start to finish. Those who enjoy crime or heist films, unusual suspense films, or even the prelude details of a zombie apocalypse should enjoy this one.

With some fairly graphic violence and a fair amount of foul language, this should be fine for teens and above.

Released: 2021
Reviewed: 12.20.21
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Thriller, Comedy, Crime, Action, Prequels

copyright ©2021 Dave Riedel