One of Netflix’s biggest movie releases to date, “Red Notice,” directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, brings together a completely star-studded cast for an action-packed adventure across the globe for the world’s rarest artifacts.
The film introduces FBI agent John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) as he looks to help protect one of Cleopatra’s golden eggs from being stolen by one of the world’s most wanted art thieves, Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds). Hartley captures Booth and reclaims the stolen egg, only for it to be stolen by another famous art thief, The Bishop (Gal Gadot), who frames Hartley. Booth and Hartley must now work together to stop The Bishop from finding all three of Cleopatra’s golden eggs and delivering them to an Egyptian billionaire (Ethan Herschenfeld.)
The plot of the movie isn’t anything original, so it’s the all-star cast that really draws viewers in. Reynolds, known for his comedic roles in other large franchises, brings the same type of energy to this film, providing most of the comedic relief throughout the film. The film’s most underdeveloped aspect is the scenery. While breathtaking views are scattered throughout the film, with the plot surrounding traveling the world to find the artifacts, it would have been better to include more scenic shots.
But the action and fighting scenes more than make up for that lack. Intense fighting scenes incorporate the three leading characters against one another and include moments of intense hand-to-hand combat, fighting with ancient artifacts, and full-blown gunfights, keeping the audience on their toes.
The ending of the film has a funny cameo by Ed Sheeran and an interesting plot twist, looking to set up the film for a potential sequel, so things do not seem to be over for these three. While it may have some plot holes and lack substance with characterization, the film still sparkles with everything a viewer could want—action, comedy and an all-star cast.
“Red Notice,” was released initially in select theaters and it is now currently available to watch on Netflix.
