Red Notice (2021) is an action comedy film written, directed, and produced by Rawson Marshall Thurber. The story follows two international art thieves, Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds) and The Bishop (Gal Gadot), who are on the hunt to steal three bejeweled eggs, supposedly once owned by Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. When an Egyptian billionaire announces that he is willing to offer a generous amount of money for retrieving the eggs for his daughter’s birthday, the two thieves go head-to-head, hoping to collect all three first. Meanwhile, FBI agent John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) is forced to team up with Nolan to clear his name as a suspect for stealing the first egg. 

Plot

Sometimes it can be difficult to find action films that perfectly balance the story with the action. Too often, these films fall into the trap of emphasizing the action, causing it to severely lack a coherent plot and leaving viewers bored. But in Red Notice, viewers can expect to find a blend of thrilling action sequences paired with scenes that dedicate time to focus on the characters and their backstories. In one moment, the characters would run from barrages of gunfire and explosions. Then, in another, they would talk about the family trauma they lived with growing up. These downtime moments help the plot flow at a nice, even pace, make a cohesive story, and build the characters’ dimensions to be more believable and humanized. Not only that but also it allows viewers to have enough breathing room so that they are not constantly suffocated with one action scene after another. 

Characters/Acting 

It is not too unusual for films to star famous A-list actors, and Red Notice’s small cast is no exception, offering a small but surprising mix of recognizable faces. While mostly marketed as an action film, the banter between Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds’ characters will have viewers cracking up a majority of the time. Johnson’s calm but bold personality pairs well with Reynold’s comedic and witty nature, making for a good cop/sly criminal dynamic that leaves viewers wanting more. 

But perhaps the most entertaining performance has to come from Gal Gadot’s Bishop and her interactions with Johnson and Reynolds’ characters. Known mostly to play the heroic role of Wonder Woman, the actress brings an enticing fresh spin as the film’s main antagonist. From leaving charming but threatening comments to Nolan and Hartley to outwitting and betraying them, The Bishop is undoubtedly the most unpredictable and clever of the three. With all three characters mixed into the action, viewers will be surprised at the amount of chaos and unexpected twists that ensue on screen.