Got to say this for Red Notice — it knows exactly what kind of a movie it is: a mashup of a classic caper tale and Indiana Jones that’s fully aware of how the star power involved will draw people in, and thus makes sure to put said stars (Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, and Gal Gadot) front and center.
Director Rawson Marshall Thurber also makes sure that all 118 minutes of the film move along at a brisk pace, with plenty of action set-pieces, twists, and heist hijinks along the way. Things begin with notorious art thief Nolan Booth (Reynolds) attempting to steal one of the three legendary (and incredibly valuable) eggs of Cleopatra, with special agent John Hartley (Johnson) determined to track him down and stop him, building up to a globe-trotting adventure packed with legitimately laugh-out-loud moments of comedy.
There’s a notion that if it’s not a serious awards contender like The Power of the Dog or Passing, Netflix original films aren’t “real” films. But real talk, the vast majority of Red Notice‘s viewers will watch it on Netflix after a long day, appreciating the convenience of blockbuster-adjacent cinema being available in their homes. They’ll have a pretty nice time. Red Notice is not high art, but that’s not always what you need. Sometimes, what you need is two movie stars searching for lost treasure and making stuff explode.
To talk about this movie in general strokes means to reduce it down in ways that smother the fun out of it. So, instead, let’s break down all the reasons why Red Notice is far from the worst viewing choice out there, and might even be worth your time.
