By: Kimberly Grant
Sometimes, movies are just for fun. There are no hidden messages. No thematic elements to make you think. And, no gritty tale of woe. Just fun.
Paying Homage
Since Netflix is continuously spreading its wings as a producer of original content, there’s no shock that the streaming service was able to recruit A-List talent. Enter Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot in an homage to Indiana Jones and (probably) Jumanji in the form of Red Notice. Red Notice, written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, can be seen now exclusively on Netflix.
In Netflix’s Red Notice, Johnson plays FBI Profiler John Hartley who is on the hunt for a big-time jewel thief named Nolan Booth (Reynolds). As Hartley is in the midst of apprehending Booth and bringing him to justice, the Bishop (Gadot) swoops in to bring the fun. The Bishop is also Booth’s top criminal rival.
Just in case you are wondering about the correlation about the title of the movie and the plot, you’ll be wondering for most of the movie. According to the description, a “red notice” is a global alert to hunt and capture the world’s most wanted, like the one issued for Booth by Interpol.
Villain in the Red Dress
That said, Gadot has a lot of fun playing the villain. I’m sure it was nice to get away from being the sweet hero and be bad for a change. Not only is Gadot good at being bad, but she brings a lightness to the film. It’s nice to see a woman in an action film be more than just arm candy.
Speaking of feminine roles, Ritu Arya as Inspector Urvashi Das is a welcome change. Inspector Vas is on the tail of Booth and Hartley and she does not disappoint. She also never needs to be rescued. So, the film passes the Bechdel test.
The other lightness of the film belongs to Reynolds, who gets half of the funniest lines. Did you know Vin Diesel has an audition tape for Cats? Neither did I. I’ll be sure to Google that.
The Chemistry of It All
This isn’t the first time Johnson and Reynolds have teamed up. The last time was in Fast & Furious’ Hobbs and Shaw. That match that included Kevin Hart. Actually, I almost expected Hart to show up as a cameo in Red Notice; since him and Johnson have a great onscreen relationship as buddies. Hint. Hint.
That said, the film felt like it was missing something. The chemistry between Johnson and Gadot in their will-they or won’t-they scenes, has some electricity. Although not enough to feel genuine. It’s almost as if they did not know each other until right before filming; during a pandemic that brought us the phrase “social distancing”. Or, Johnson and Gadot may not like each other. No matter how good of an actor you are, if you don’t like someone, it shows.
Looking to the Future
In the true spirit of Indiana Jones films, it would be great for this trio to team up again and bring audiences pure adventurous fun. Only, next time, they should add Kevin Hart to bring a little more life to the story and distract from lack of chemistry.
Noticing that I have some insight into films? You can read my last post about the film industry here.
