MOVIE OF THE WEEK (11/15/24): RED ONE

"So ... You know I could beat Cody Rhodes, right? All I need is one WWE contract ..." Krampus (Kristopher Hivju) sizes up Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) in a scene from director Jake Kasdan's RED ONE. Credit: Frank Masi/Prime © 2022 Amazon Content Services LLC.

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:

KEY CAST MEMBERS: Chris Evans, Dwayne Johnson, Lucy Liu, Kristopher Hivju, Kiernan Shipka, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Wesley Kimmel and Bonnie Hunt with J.K. Simmons

DIRECTOR: Jake Kasdan

THE BACK STORY: Santa Claus needs a lot of help to make Christmas happen every year. From the trolls and elves needed to sort and organize toys to those who help keep his reindeer healthy, Nick (J.K. Simmons) has plenty of assistance. That includes Mrs. Claus (Bonnie Hunt) and Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson), the head of his security detail working under Zoe Harlow (Lucy Liu), the director of an organization that keeps track of all the creatures of the mythical world. 

Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans), however, is only concerned with one person and one person only: himself. That's among the reasons he will take on any nefarious job thrown his way, the man known only as "The Wolf" on the dark web specializing in finding people that can't be found. Unfortunately for his ex Olivia (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), that doesn't extend to finding time to spend with his son Dylan (Wesley Kimmel).

All their worlds are about to collide, however, once Jack helps an unknown client track down a secret location in the North Pole that just so happens to be jolly ol' – and very in shape – St. Nick's home. Who has kidnapped Santa Claus and why is a mystery Cal and The Director realize they can't solve, so they decide to bring in some outside help in the form of Jack – and he's going to help them whether he as a Level Four "Naughty Lister" likes it or not. 

 

THE REVIEW: RED ONE is entertaining, thanks to the strong performances of the cast, its action sequences which don't feel overtly hokey or forced and relatable story. However, given that the aforementioned action sequences and language are far too intense for anyone under 10, the message of the film is geared more towards adults and it's length at just over 2 hours in length, it's also a movie without a defined audience. While the film explores one of the lost staples of Christmas – seeing the goodness in others – it also cuts off the carrot off its snowmen's respective faces by not quite fitting into one particular audience. 

For all his recent WWE and athletic prowess, RED ONE reminds us that behind Johnson's physicality also lies a man capable of conveying emotion with a simple gaze, vocal tone or smile. Johnson plays well against Evans' character's very anti-Captain America-like behavior, which never feels forced or included for the story's sake. It's the classic "I don't like you, I don't like you either" polar opposites formula, but it works as both Evans and Johnson execute it well. 

The biggest standpoint performances, however, belong to the film's lesser-known cast members.  

Kiernan Shipka's portrayal of Gryla, the evil Christmas witch, is never out of place, helping to make her a formidable foe once she is introduced into the story, even her own personal backstory never truly comes into focus. It is Game of Thrones alum Kristopher Hivju, however, who steals the show as Nick's half brother Krampus, so much so that if he were to get his own spin-off film, it might do better than RED ONE is likely to do on its own. 

Overall, RED ONE is an entertaining affair, but its constant flip-flopping between wanting to be an action movie and a family affair makes for a balanced experience that ends up feeling unbalanced for the very audiences it seeks to attract. It's sort of like Cars meets The Fast and the Furious, which while entertaining on their own aren't exactly the easiest mashup to make work together. It's got just enough to keep you watching, but not enough to truly hook you into adding it to your Christmas classics list.

To quote the Bible verse where the quote is found, "no one can serve two masters." In the case of RED ONE, trying to make a Christmas action movie feels like trying to serve to audiences at once, possibly to its own detriment even though, in the end, it works better than it should. 

If nothing else, one thing is for sure: You'll never look at Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots the same way ever again. 

OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):