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RED
Directed by Trygve Allister Diesen & Lucky McKee
Produced by Trygve Allister Diesen & Norman Dreyfuss
Written by Stephen Susco, based on the novel by Jack Ketchum
Released by Magnolia Pictures
USA. 100 min. Rated R
With Brian Cox, Kim Dickens, Noel Fischer, Tom Sizemore, Kyle Gallner, Amanda Plummer, Shiloh Fernandez, Robert Englund & Richard Riehle

Av Ludlow (Brian Cox), a Korean War vet who has lost his family, lives alone in a small town with his beloved 14-year-old dog Red. He owns a hardware store and leads a quiet, peaceful life, getting along well with the town folk. Then one Sunday afternoon, three local teens murder Red in a moment of senseless, mean-spirited violence. Av attempts to make sense of what happened, and to seek justice.

This film, based on a novel by Jack Ketchum, has the potential, at moments, to become a dark, probing exploration of the causes of violence, and of how and why meaningless cruelty begets more meaningless cruelty. It holds together through strong performances, particularly by Cox, an underrated actor who deserves recognition for his versatility and depth in features like L.I.E. (2001) and Manhunter (1986.)

Unfortunately, Red succumbs too often to emotional manipulation and unearned melodrama, without probing the deeper issues. The film has a chance to be more like an Andre Dubus morality tale, such as Todd Field’s intensely realistic In the Bedroom (2001), adapted from the author’s short story, “Killings,” in which heartbroken parents deal with grief through vigilante justice. Red is marred by a few heavy-handed Hollywood touches, including a schmaltzy beginning with sentimental music to show how close Av is to his dog and trumped up romantic overtones between Av and a younger female reporter (Kim Dickens of 2001's Things Behind the Sun, another talented and underused actor) who takes an interest in his story.

There’s value in the using film to look at the corrosive, addictive power of revenge, and how attempts to even a score lead more often to a bloodbath than to restitution. At times, Red has the emotional and moral complexity of In the Bedroom, but at other times, it’s more like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a relentless and incessant downward spiral into ruin. It’s not that there’s any unnecessary gore, but the themes of ongoing and meaningless violence stray into horror movie territory at the moments when they’re oversimplified, too conventional, and too predictable. Elizabeth Bachner
August 8, 2008