Reynolds, Gadot, and The Rock as themselves
In early 2021, Netflix announced an upcoming action/spy movie called Red Notice. The top billed cast included Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot. I don’t think anything else was even announced. It was simply come and watch three of the most recognizable and famous actors on the planet.
An honest trailer would have said Reynolds is going talk a thousand sarcastic words a minute, Johnson is going to be his wrestler-turned-tank action star, and Gadot was going to be the mature one keeping the kids in line. That, combined with beautiful cinematography, amazing sets, and a killer performance by Ritu Arya, would be the most accurate film intro of all time.
Red Notice opens with FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit Agent John Hartley working with Arya’s Inspector Urvashi Das to prevent the theft of one of Cleopatra’s Three Eggs. (The concept of the eggs is explained via expository dialogue over the opening credits.) The jewel thief is Nolan Booth (Reynolds), who manages to grab the first egg. In the “Start with Action” rule of films, Hartley (Johnson) crashes through a bunch of obstacles while Booth (Reynolds’ stunt double Jonny James) executes some crazy parkour moves. Booth eventually escapes, furthering his reputation for getting caught and then breaking free.
Hartley catches Booth in the next scene, only to be completely set up as an accomplice. The two wind up in a Russian prison, setting up the buddy cop story angle and the rhythm of the dialogue that viewers should expect from these two. Reynolds leans hard into the tone and sarcasm of Deadpool. By default, Johnson becomes the straight man. Director/Writer Rawson Marshall Thurber does an excellent job of making their dialogue memorable, only to reverse it later.
As with all good spy movies, Red Notice has plenty of twists and turns. For the film’s first two acts, many of these go to Gadot’s character, Bishop. She expertly plays the role as one step ahead of the boys at every turn. There is never a moment where she is intellectually or physically inferior to them. Gadot’s Bishop is smug and reserved. She’s the chess player. Gadot excels in this role, allowing Reynolds and Johnson the comfort of the physical and verbal comedy that have defined their careers.
Red Notice is a fun watch. It sets the tone and the plot early and sends the viewers on a thrill ride for the rest of the story. It’s a concise story that is consistently entertaining, full of jokes, and has a crazy amount of action. Reynolds and Johnson are great as a comedy duo and Gadot always seems to be steering the car to keep them on the road. The stunt crew is extremely talented. Whether the fight scenes are between two people or dozens, the action is entertaining.
Between the action, the laughs, and the plot twists, Red Notice is worth checking out. The movie is streaming as of November 12, 2021 on Netflix for all subscribers.