Netflix Action Comedy Heist Unites World’s Biggest Stars
Netflix brought together some of Hollywood’s biggest names for the action comedy Red Notice. Despite a tepid critical reception, the movie dominated the streaming platform’s viewership when it came out. The movie has gained a reputation as a light, fun, mindless action comedy popular enough that multiple sequels have entered development.
Two Thieves And An FBI Agent
Red Notice centers around a series of heists and cons as various characters try to acquire an ancient set of bejeweled eggs that belonged to Cleopatra. The movie’s three central characters are the world-famous thief, Nolan Booth, his rival Sarah Black, and an FBI profiler named John Hartley.
The three engage in a series of temporary alliances, double-crosses, and deceptions with each other as they each try to acquire the eggs.
The Cast
The cast is what makes Red Notice noteworthy, with its three leads each being played by an A-list actor. Nolan Booth is played by Ryan Reynolds, Sarah Black by Gal Gadot, and John Hartley by Dwayne Johnson. Seeing these mega-stars acting together is the movie’s main draw.
A Huge Budget
Released in 2021, Red Notice was originally planned as a Universal movie but was acquired by Netflix, receiving a limited theatrical release. It dominated the streaming platform, becoming the most-watched debut weekend in Netflix history.
It was the 5th most-watched movie on Netflix in 2021, making it a huge hit for the company as an exclusive film.
Due to the unusual way the movie came to Netflix, it has a much higher budget than most Netflix-exclusive movies.
Costing $200 million Red Notice was the most expensive Netflix movie at the time, though it was later unseated by The Gray Man the next year. This budget is reflected in the cast and action sequences.
Critics Didn’t Like It
In addition to its huge budget the production of Red Notice is noteworthy because it was produced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic created major problems for the movie, which was filmed in both Atlanta, Georgia and Rome.
Production was halted completely for some time and the portion filmed in Italy was significantly delayed.
Despite its popularity on Netflix, Red Notice was a huge flop among critics. The film has a 36 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with the writing being the most heavily criticized element, particularly the movie’s unbelievable plot.
Despite overall poor reviews, the performances, action sequences, and comedy were fairly well received and often praised even in negative reviews.
Stream It Now
Red Notice’s success has prompted the greenlighting of two sequels, being made back-to-back. These sequels are currently in the writing stage, with one script finished and the other still being written.
It’s been claimed that these sequels will add more stars to make the franchise a growing ensemble venture.
Due to its time of release and the fact that it was a Netflix original movie, Red Notice became one of the standout movies of the pandemic. While some of its success is likely a result of those circumstances, the chemistry and skill of its all-star cast may have made it a hit under any circumstances.
Red Notice is a fun, star-studded, action comedy mega-hit, that is still available on Netflix.
