p-stepien Avery Ludlow (Brian Cox) lives a quiet and semi-secluded life. All the joy that is left in this world after the deaths of his wife and children is firmly placed in the paws of a lovable old dog named Red. Splitting time between his store and fishing Avery leads a peaceful, if uneventful life. All that is good must come to an end... or there would be no movie.Whilst out fishing with Red as his sole companion he encounters three youths hunting for animals with a brand new rifle. Avery is quick to give a few pointers out to the kids, but their leader Danny (Noel Fisher) is frustrated by being tutored by the old man. This results in Danny attempting to steal from Avery, but when this turns out to be fruitless he decides to shoot Red...Avery's sadness quickly turns into a quest for justice. A quest that just seems to snowball downhill.Brian Cox is a brilliant actor and this is one more excellent performance by the old timer. That said he alone is not able to carry this movie into any direction of interest and some below par acting does not help. Especially appalling is Kim Dickens, who plays a holier than thou TV journalist called Carrie. My main problem with this movie is its lack of focus. Scampering around for a main theme it misses several opportunities to i.e. focus on cruelty towards animals or delve into the engulfing emptiness of Avery's life that the dog's death has caused. These themes are just superficially touched and then we suddenly head into the dangerous territory of 'eye for an eye' revenge type scenario, which overshadows the fact that this movie is about Red. The dog. And his death. And not about dysfunctional families and their mental issues.This story may have worked in the book, but for a movie you really need to refocus the plot, as you can't touch too many subjects without risking gibberish.

mntwister I can't think of any flaws with this film. I went into this not knowing what to expect, only reading the slight synopsis on the rental. This film, in its early reviews, fell under the "revenge" category, but that is not what this is about in any way. There is no revenge here. Avery Ludlow, played by Brian Cox, is a man who is kind, generous and well respected in his community, a small town. Several teenagers commit an act that hurts him and he wants only admission and an apology. But the guilty are children of a rich man who won't let his reputation be hurt and who has connections and uses them so that Avery cannot put to rest the act that occurred (I am not going to say what it is, not really a spoiler since it is in the synopsis everywhere but in case this is all you read, you won't know then).There simply is no revenge in Ludlow's heart, but things get worse as he just tries to deal with what happened here, after losing his family several years prior to this. I won't go anymore into the story, but I will say that this is a great film, about morals, honor, and those with money who try to get away with anything. Beautifully acted, I always felt this was a totally realistic situation, the characters were very real to me and situations like this could very easily occur, and most probably do. I highly recommend this movie. I think it is an important film in many respects, and rarely is a story told these days where the victim doesn't seek cold revenge but just admission. As you find out about Ludlow's life, you will certainly be in sympathy for him, which only adds to the awful things that happen here. Don't miss this one!

dancemacabre I saw this movie with no big expectations. Only after a few minutes of watching I started to realize that this is on just a ordinary movie. This I noticed through the dialogs which is pretty god and most from the excellent acting from main role Brian Cox. The actors in this movie are behaving quite naturally and this having effect to movie that it looks realistic. If you have read a plot and you doesn't see the movie, you easily can think this is a one of cliché revenge movie. If you so, you're wrong.This is emotionally and strong story about one man and his love to justice and his dog. His dog isn't only a pet, it's everything he got. He lost his woman and son which were killed by his older son. In the middle of the movie, Brian (or just Ludlow in this movie) talking about his sad and unlucky past and what he's been through. One thing that has flaws and that get me nervous a little bit is the near the end movie. Almost entire movie, Brian stalking a kid who killed his dog. At the near end, he get in the gun conflict with that kid and his father. In the next scene we realize that Brian is peacefully reading the newspaper. There's no cops, there's no trial, just a big and sudden plot hole. I begin to ask what happen to father? What police have to say at all about? Well, I have to only guess, but not to be sure. Movie for surely wouldn't be that much long and outstretched if they were filmed this explanation. But that's no big failure. It was really enjoyable movie and I'm really satisfied about that. Must say that this work is somehow overlooked. I watched many popular movies last years which they were not good as this one. This movie isn't popular at all in the meaning of cinematography. It's convicted on small publicity and audience with intention. With all this we now realize that this is one of those hidden gem that we must watch. Even if we don't like dramas, I think that many wouldn't be disappointed.

Coventry I haven't read anything from author Jack Ketchum's novella repertoire yet and this is only the first movie adaptation of his work that I watched, but nevertheless I had high expectations because he has a wide and loyal fan base, which includes several people whose opinions I value enormously. The basic plot description makes "Red" sound like a raw and primitive vigilante/revenge thriller – the type of film that "Death Wish" spawned a truckload of in the 1970's – but the truth is that this is much more of a compelling drama and detailed character study rather than a gratuitously violent thriller. Thanks to the, hands down, brilliant tour-de-force acting performance of Brian Cox and the recognizable defaults in our modern day society (like abuse of power and derailed youth), "Red" is a saddening and diligent fable about one man's consistent quest for justice where others would have given up long time ago already. Avery Ludlow is a small town's store owner who enjoys nothing more than to go fishing in his fixed and idyllic little spot, accompanied by his old but faithful dog Red. Red is Avery's dearest impedimenta, as it was a present from his deceased wife. When a trio of adolescent thugs, on the lookout for money and kicks, cruelly and cold-heartedly kill Red with a headshot, Avery obviously seeks retaliation. He confronts the boys' father with indisputable facts and asks for an appropriate punishment, but since Mr. McCormack is an obnoxious and wealthy local businessman, the accusations are simply laughed away. Moreover, when Avery seeks help and support around town, McCormack uses his political influence to obstruct him. Especially the first half of "Red" is extremely powerful and fascinating. The dramatic event at the fishing lake, Avery's first acquaintance with the arrogant Michael McCormack (fitting role for Tom Sizemore) and his first attempts to acquire justice are all masterfully accomplished sequences that literally ooze with suspense and craftsmanship. I watched this movie at the annual Fantastic Film Festival in my country, amidst a whole gathering of usually outrageous and bloodthirsty horror freaks, but I assure the audience was dead quiet and staring at the screen with eyes and mouth wide open during these intense sequences. The second half is unfortunately a lot less impressive, on the very of disappointing even, due to a handful of far-fetched twists and illogical sequences. The escalation of the vendetta between Avery and the McCormack family are simply too implausible to take seriously and the climax is too violent to fit in with the overall tone of the film. Nonetheless this is a remarkable and long-haunting film with a lot of heart & passion. The major stars receive excellent support from familiar B-movie faces, like Robert Englund, Amanda Plummer and Ashley Laurence. Particularly that last one was a refreshment to see again, as she hasn't appeared in a half-decent movie since she depicted the lovable Kirsty Cotton in "Hellraiser".