Netflix’s Red Notice serves up a good blend of star power, action and comedy rolled into an easy to watch/ binge 118 minute movie, best enjoyed during a lazy weekend afternoon or evening. If you’re looking to be entertained, this would be an easy choice, but don’t expect anything deeper than a good old- fashioned action comedy!
Starring Dwayne Johnson as Special Agent John Hartley, Ryan Reynolds as Nolan Booth and Gal Gadot as The Bishop, one would wonder how such a super cast would work well together. But as it was, each person had their fair share of screen time and dialogue to portray their characters effectively.
The plot follows John Hartley, an FBI profiler pursuing the world’s most wanted art thief (Nolan Booth), but is forced to eventually work with him as partners in crime to catch The Bishop, an elusive crook who always seems to be one step ahead of them. The three of them have the same objective, to find Cleopatra’s three bejewelled eggs given to her by Marcus Antonius, but getting to such ancient treasures will see them travel to exotic and dangerous locations. Throw in a couple of twists and turns along the way, and we’re in for a ride!
As with any movie starring Dwayne Johnson, there is going to be a fair amount of action, which the audience can expect with a sprinkle of comedy. With Ryan Reynolds however, you’d most definitely expect more comedy than action, so when you put Black Adam and Deadpool together, you’re going to get the best of both worlds.
The two of them, by virtue of probably being themselves in their roles, managed to perfectly blend these two aspects, a true hallmark of seasoned actors. It could have been very easy for the movie to become unnecessarily comedic or over the top with the action sequences, so hats off to the plot and script for keeping the boys in check.
Gal Gadot as The Bishop plays a more behind the scene role with her involvement in the grander scheme of things being more elusive. We do get to see her, just maybe not as much as some Wonder Woman fans would have liked. The plot does bring her in at key moments, like how one would use their Bishop in a game of chess.
Red Notice delivers on what it promises to be, so get on to Netflix when you’ve got two hours to kill and you will not be disappointed.