Red

Judy isn't an action-movie fan, but as we were walking out of the theater after seeing Red, she said, "How could anybody not like that movie?" Lots of critics didn't, but what do they know? Explosions, laughs, and geezers kicking whippersnapper butt. What's not to like? The plot doesn't really matter because the whole thing is preposterous. All you need to know is that the C. I. A. is killing off all the people who were in Guatemala at a certain time. Four of those on the list (Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, and Morgan Freeman), all now Retired but considered Extremely Dangerous, fight back to excellent effect. Brian Cox helps out, too, and Mary-Louise Parker is along to provide the love interest. Again, what's not to like?

Willis underplays the whole way, which works well with Malkovich's overplaying. Willis nearly always has a little grin, as if he knows how ridiculous the whole thing is but doesn't care because he's having fun. I had fun, too. Malkovich has a throwaway line that I laughed at, but no one else did. Maybe it was too much of an in-joke for everybody else, but I liked it. But then I liked pretty much the whole over-the-top thing. Especially the gators. Yes, there's a great gator sight-gag. No wonder I had such a good time.

[SPOILER ALERT]: Here's the Malkovich line. At one point during a gun battle with the Secret Service, he says something like this: "I seem to remember that the Secret Service used to be much tougher." I instantly flashed on In the Line of Fire, in which Clint Eastwood played the Secret Service guy who was taunted by the would-be presidential assassin played by, you guessed it, Malkovich. [END SPOILER ALERT]