The cast helps beef up an otherwise predictable story. And Bruce Willis.
Helen Mirren reprises her role as the charming MI6 assassin Victoria, who vows to help her friends out even as she gets a contract to kill them. Meanwhile, Byung-hun Lee joins the party as Han Cho Bai, a killer called upon to finish off Frank and his team. Also joining the party is Catherine Zeta-Jones as Frank's old flame Katja, and Anthony Hopkins as Bailey, a bomb-maker who may or may not be what he seems.
The plot has several moments of questionability, particularly in the final moments. I won't spoil them here, but you'll see what comes into question when it happens. However, the movie's mostly a good time as it goes on. The wordplay between characters is humorous, especially Marvin, who spends just as much time giving Frank advice about love as he does spouting out conspiracy theories. Sarah is like a kid in a candy store, excited – to a point – about taking part in spy stuff. Meanwhile, Frank is put in an odd situation with the return of Katja, especially when Sarah begins to show her jealousy. Mind you, this is on top of what Bailey is doing, and Han tearing his way through enemy forces to get a shot at the good guys.
Performances can be up and down in Red 2. Willis is practically dialing it in at this point, though he does have a couple of great moments – one involving Pringles. Otherwise, he's just "action guy" again, with very little to differentiate him. Faring much better is Malkovich, who's clearly having a good time as Marvin; and Mirren, who refuses to let Oscar nominations dwindle her capacity to kick ass. Parker's not bad either, though her eagerness can be a bit overkill at times.
