Laughing and relaxed, Bruce Willis is great in Red 2 [critique]

M6 is rebroadcasting action comedies from the 2010s… in reverse.

In Red 2to be seen again at 9:10 p.m. on the sixth channel, followed by No. 1 broadcast last week, Bruce Willis reprises his role as Frank Moses, a former CIA super-killer who has retired from active duty and now only aspires to live his relationship with Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker). Still classified as RED (Retired Extremely Dangerous) in the world of spies, here he is again forced to go back into action with his pal Marvin the paranoid (John Malkovich)…

Released in August 2013, Red 2 had reassured the editorial staff of Firstworried about Bruce Willis' recent blockbusters. At the time, he had just slammed the door onExpendables in his own way: by asking for a lot of money for number 3, he had been ousted from the saga! And he was so little involved in Die Hard 5 that this part became the most difficult to watch of the entire franchise, which ultimately did not have a final opus to wrap it up beautifully. Ouch.

The film of Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest) also has its flaws, but it was able to remind the public why Bruce was so loved in action cinema, as well as in the comic register. Here is the review published at the time in Firstlong before we learned of the actor's illness, and his (real) retirement anticipated.

While we complain (rightly) about the latter Die Hardwe forget that Willis was brilliant as a single, mute sheriff in Moonrise Kingdom of Wes Anderson no later than May 2012. The opportunity to remember that Willis is brilliant as soon as he is given an appropriate role (Pulp Fiction, Sixth Sense…), and not when we just ask him to play a pseudo-McClane for the umpteenth time. Which he will always be, deep down: we know that not much will be enough (a good script, a capable director, as for Moonrise Kingdom) for John McClane to come back for good and give us a real sequel worthy of Crystal trap Or A day in hell…

In Red 2Willis is still playing a badass bald guy, then. But in the middle of a five-star cast (Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Anthony HopkinsAnd Byung Hun Lee aka the ninja Storm Shadow in GI Joe Conspiracy), Willis is much more at ease than usual. Laughing and relaxed, confident in the action scenes, looking like he doesn't care with a smirk while knowing after all that he is in this kind of film not only to have fun but above all to entertain, Bruce proves that he can still be cool. And reminds us that if he retires, we would miss him a lot.

Trailer:

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