With an unoriginal story and a script that even Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson can’t carry, there is no surprise why Rawson Marshall Thurber’s Red Notice has gone largely unnoticed.
Much like the Indiana Jones and National Treasure franchises, Red Notice’s plot is centered on the search for a priceless ancient artifact once thought lost to time.
In the era of Roman general Mark Antony, three golden eggs were gifted to the Egyptian queen Cleopatra as a sign of his love.
“Costing more than $200 million to produce, Red Notice is as expensive and hollow as the coveted Golden Eggs that kick-starts the globe-hopping caper.”
Over the course of 2,000 years, one egg ended up at a museum, the second in a private collection and the third was still unknown to the world.
When an Egyptian billionaire offers a reward to the person who can deliver to him the three eggs, thieves and treasure hunters alike go searching including one of the world’s most notorious criminals Nolan Booth (played by Ryan Reynolds).
In the midst of a heist for one of the eggs, Booth’s plan gets foiled by FBI Agent John Hartley (played by Dwayne Johnson) who is working with Interpol.
Unfortunately, Hartley is framed by a master art thief named The Bishop (played by Gal Gadot) and he now needs to attain the three eggs as well as both Booth and Bishop if he wants his name cleared and his life back.
Costing more than $200 million to produce, Red Notice is as expensive and hollow as the coveted Golden Eggs that kick-starts the globe-hopping caper.
It’s over use of CGI locations, which are indistinguishable from one another, cheapens the film’s aesthetics to the detriment of the entire plot.
“With Gadot’s character drawing much inspiration from the iconic fictional thief Carmen Sandiego, one could see Gadot successfully play her in a stand-alone film.”
Thankfully for the audience, the city’s name appears in large red letters over an iconic landmark before each set piece.
Not much can be positively said about a film that’s script and performances feel more computer-generated than its special effects.
If you close your eyes, you would think that Deadpool, Wonder-Woman and an uncharismatic Dwayne Johnson had teamed up for some heists and hijinks.
Ryan Reynolds’ fast-talking persona and witty shtick, which is used unceasingly, quickly grows as tiresome as Dwayne Johnson’s delivery feels.
Faring better than her co-stars, Gal Gadot does well to portray the Femme Fatale but is let down by a poorly written script and dialogue.
With Gadot’s character drawing much inspiration from the iconic fictional thief Carmen Sandiego, one could see Gadot successfully play her in a stand-alone film.
“It’s over use of CGI locations, which are indistinguishable from one another, cheapens the film’s aesthetics to the detriment of the entire plot.”
There are a few surprising plot twists but, like Reynolds’ barrage of one-liners, the script-writers just don’t know when enough is enough.
This may be yet another forgettable Netflix-production for viewers. Let’s hope that the writers, who have set up a sequel at the film’s conclusion, forgets too.
Red Notice, rated M for coarse language, is currently streaming on Netflix and in selected cinemas across Australia.