An aging man (Brian Cox) upset at the murder of his dog goes on a quest for justice, which spirals into violence.

CRITIQUE

Red is a solid little dramatic thriller that was an official selection at the 2008 Sundance film festival; it tells the tale of a man obsessed with finding justice for the murder of his dog.  The result is a small tale that is involving throughout; directors Trygve Allister Diesen and Lucky McKee do a good job immersing us in the world of this man and his simple desire, and this is worth seeking out.

The main character here is Avery Ludlow, which is a good lead role for character actor Brian Cox.  Avery lives alone with his dog, and has a tragic past that is revealed nicely along the way.  The filmmakers waste little time in getting to the plot here, with Avery hassled early on by fishing by a trio of teens, one of whom guns down Avery’s beloved dog Red for no reason.

The bulk of the 93-minute tale is spent on Avery’s trying to get the teens to own up to what they did, complicated by the fact the father of two of the teens (Tom Sizemore) would rather cover up the crime than have his sons admit culpability.  Avery is also frustrated by the fact that the crime is just a misdemeanor that he doesn’t have enough real evidence about, and his frustration pushes the tale into darker places, bringing the audience along for the ride.

The film is populated by a lot of recognizable actors (Robert Englund, Amanda Plummer, Kim Dickens) in small roles, but what really works here is a solid mixture of character drama and thriller, that draws us into the moral choices that need to be made, building to the ultimate showdown.  Though a semi-romance Avery has doesn’t add much, most of this is very solid, and it merits a look.

THE VIDEO

Red is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen.  The picture quality is generally good despite the low-budget feel of it all.

THE AUDIO

Red is presented in English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital.  Dialogue, music and sound effects come through clear.  There are Spanish subtitles.

THE EXTRAS

There are 8 minutes of Deleted Scenes that were cut to tighten the film down.  Some of intriguing, particularly a powerful moment that was clipped from the climax.

There is a 5-minute Interview With Brian Cox in which he talks about this movie, the book it was based on, and indie film in general.

FINAL THOUGHT

Very good of its type, Red is involving throughout.