Red Notice isn’t as much a heist movie as it is a cartoon, filled with outrageous sequences that are somewhat entertaining but also feel empty at the same time. It is one of Netflix’s most expensive movies yet, with a budget of $200 million. But most of that budget is spent on the three main actors, and although the cast travels around the globe, most of the locations are conjured up using CGI, and it often shows.
FBI profiler John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) pursues skilled art thief Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds) as he tries to nab one of three priceless eggs given to Cleopatra by her lover Mark Anthony. However, Hartley is framed by the illusive art thief Bishop (Gal Gadot) and now he must escape a remote prison with Booth and race the Bishop to acquire the other two eggs before she does and clear his name.
Red Notice’s plot is paper-thin: mostly window-dressing to showcase the three stars doing their thing. However, only Ryan Reynolds really shines here, and even his standard comedic act can grate on your nerves sometimes. Johnson’s straight man character feels stifled, although his hard-headedness does sometimes play off well against Reynold’s Booth. Gal Gadot’s acting is what you would expect from her at this point. She does seem to have some fun playing against type. There’s a requisite twist in the end that casts two characters together, but their chemistry is almost non-existent.
That’s not to say that Red Notice isn’t fun.
It takes around twenty minutes or so for the film to fall into its groove, but it stays mostly on track from that point forward. The twists, when they come, either seem telegraphed or they don’t make sense in retrospect. The final sequence evokes classic Indiana Jones fare, but unfortunately, it’s poorly shot. The ending sets up a sequel, but it’s highly likely that, in the event it happens, it won’t be any better than this movie.
In fact, throughout the movie, you are constantly reminded of the fact that this is not only made by committee, but it’s also designed to be as algorithm-friendly as possible.
It’s not quite as bad as other expensive Netflix flicks like Bright and Six Underground (which was incoherent but also chaotic fun), but it’s clear that Netflix still hasn’t cracked the formula for great blockbusters. That wouldn’t really be much of a problem, as the platform has had its share of great films like Marriage Story, Roma, Da 5 Bloods and even the more recent The Harder They Fall. But Netflix keeps insisting on betting on blockbusters.
Here’s to hoping they get it right sooner than later.