Red

Name: Red
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Released: August 8, 2008
Duration: 93 min
Rating: 61

2008

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Ratings

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6.9

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6.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Ratings

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Red

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Movie Details & Credits

Release Date: August 8, 2008 | R

Summary: Avery Allan Ludlow, a Korean War vet with a tragic past, lives alone in a small town where he runs the local hardware store. Av's only companion is a 14-year-old ginger-haired dog, aptly named Red by Av's late wife. One day, Av and Red are enjoying a placid outing at their favorite fishing spot when three boys and a shotgun come along. InAvery Allan Ludlow, a Korean War vet with a tragic past, lives alone in a small town where he runs the local hardware store. Av's only companion is a 14-year-old ginger-haired dog, aptly named Red by Av's late wife. One day, Av and Red are enjoying a placid outing at their favorite fishing spot when three boys and a shotgun come along. In an instant, Av's lifelong friend is gone, the victim of a cruel, senseless act. Devastated, Av determines to find out who the boys are and why they killed his dog. Helped by a local reporter, Av tries to expose the truth, but his efforts are ignored by authorities and mocked by the teenagers. The boys' parents--a rich local businessman, and across town, a hardscrabble laborer and his wife--are also determined to keep Av down. But faithful to the memory of his best friend, Av single-mindedly presses for justice--with or without the law on his side. (Magnolia Pictures)… Expand

Director: Lucky McKee and Trygve Allister Diesen

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 93 min

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Critic Reviews

Linda Stasi

Cox brilliantly underplays Avery, Sizemore is perfect as the arrogant dad, and the three boys (Noel Fisher, Kyle Gallner and Shiloh Fernandez) are right on pitch. Red the dog's pretty wonderful, too. Read full review

Noel Murray

Red's dialogue is a bit blunt, its characters are too broadly outlined, and the situation verges on the ludicrous at times, especially in the way these dumb kids keep committing terrible crimes without leaving any evidence. But the movie isn't meant to be an exercise in realism. Read full review

Gabe Oppenheim

Its earnest, always incomplete quest haunts us in ways stock imagery cannot. Read full review

Peter Debruge

Touchy subject matter aside, Red demonstrates real elegance in its commitment to a relatively straightforward story, allowing the characters' emotions to come to a slow boil. Read full review

Stephen Holden

Once Avery's mission assumes a Freudian dimension, the allegory loses its moral force and changes from a meditation on justice, power and inequality into a gory melodrama. Read full review

Scott Foundas

The movie's escalating series of tit-for-tat revenge ploys becomes a bit tedious even at 95 minutes, but Cox and a rich (if not always well-served) supporting cast that includes Tom Sizemore, Amanda Plummer, and Robert Englund keep it more than watchable throughout. Read full review

Peter Rainer

Any movie that opens with the killing of a pet dog is definitely going to capture your attention. But where do you go from there? Read full review

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JayH.

Oct 24, 2008

Brian Cox's outstanding performance alone makes this worth watching. Moving, always interesting, great performances, well thought out direction. Powerful, well edited. Great job all around.

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Tss5078

Jan 8, 2014

The previews and descriptions of Red, tell you very little about the story, and what it does show you is something that makes you wonder, how in the world can they make a whole movie out of this!? I gave it a shot, because it based on a book by Jack Ketchum, the writer who has given us theThe previews and descriptions of Red, tell you very little about the story, and what it does show you is something that makes you wonder, how in the world can they make a whole movie out of this!? I gave it a shot, because it based on a book by Jack Ketchum, the writer who has given us the novels and eventually the films, The Lost, Offspring, The Girl Next Door, & The Women. I really enjoy Ketchum's style, I gave this movie a shot, and it really surprised me. The story is a simple one about a simple man, Avery Ludlow (Brian Cox), who is out fishing with his old dog Red. Quickly the serenity is destroyed by three rich kids looking to have some fun. In the process of robbing Ludlow, one of the boys shoots and kills Red. As it would turn out, there's a lot more to Avery Ludlow than meets the eye and there is a wild story about Red, where he came from, and what he means to Ludlow, who spends the rest of the film trying to get justice for his pet, from a town that really doesn't care a whole lot. Brian Cox is the star and lets face it, he's been in everything, and by this point we've all seen him in something and know how great he is. Out of all of Cox's roles though, this is one that really stood out to me, because he is beyond terrific and a perfect fit for the character of Avery Ludlow. Cox is paired with a few up and coming teen stars and their rich father played by Tom Sizemore. Together, they are the complete opposite of Ludlow, both in status and in personality, bringing the film full circle. Based on the description, Red seems like it's going to be a long and boring tale, but as always Jack Ketcum throws in some terrific plot twists, and the story goes to a place you'd never expect it to go.… Expand

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