RED 2 sees old-timer ex-black-ops CIA agent Frank (Bruce Willis) reuniting with his ex-colleagues to try and find a missing nuclear device that was smuggled into Moscow in the '70s. Also along for the ride is Frank's girlfriend Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker), who can't get enough of the exciting espionage lifestyle. Meanwhile, numerous people try to kill Frank and his pals.Let's be honest, people don't generally watch this kind of film for the plot (which is a good thing because the story for RED 2 is a forgettable, scattershot affair, leaping all over the place): they watch it for the all-star cast - which this time around features Anthony Hopkins, David Thewlis, Catherine Zeta Jones, and Byung-hun Lee - and for the ridiculous action scenes, of which there are plenty.Fans of the first film will no doubt have a blast as this film delivers the same mix of comedy and violence as the first film, with highlights being Han destroying numerous vehicles with a mini gun, a car chase through Paris, and an exciting high speed pursuit down a British motorway. Like the original, this sequel is perhaps a touch too long at almost two hours, but the rapid pace and constant change of scenery ensures a consistently fun time for the duration.6.5 out of 10 for Byung-hun Lee: he might have been included to appeal to the Asian market, but he's easily the best thing about the film, the Korean actor shining brighter than the Hollywood stars.

You don't have to see RED first, but it is awfully cute. The title stands for Retired and Extremely Dangerous, so as you might expect from watching the preview and seeing the cast list, this is one of those "old guys still got it" movies. In general, I love these movies, and with RED and RED 2 I was just as entertained as I'd expected to be. Ironically, the youngest man in the bunch, Bruce Willis, is the lead. I never think of him as being of retirement age, but here he stands among older old-timers: John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and Anthony Hopkins.As you know from the first movie, the gang is a bunch of retired CIA agents who are fighting to stay alive, because they know some pretty dangerous state secrets. Bruce Willis and Mary-Louise Parker are still completely adorable together in the film, and when his ex-flame Catherine Zeta-Jones shows up, Mary-Louise gets pretty jealous! Joining the cast for the sequel are Neal McDonough and Byung-hun Lee, so ladies, you'll get plenty of eye candy in this one!RED 2 is just as funny, delightful, romantic, and exciting as the first movie. It's chalk-full of hilarious one-liners and thrilling action scenes, so buckle up and get ready for a very fun movie night!

This sequel sees retired agents Frank Moses and Marvin Boggs in trouble again when an article on Wikileaks mentions them in connection to a Cold War mission known as 'Operation Nightshade'. Shortly after Marvin warns Frank he is apparently killed and Frank is captured and is threatened by Jack Horton who says he will torture his girlfriend, Sarah, if he doesn't say what he knows about Nightshade. Before long he is rescued by the not so dead Marvin and the two of them, along with Sarah, head off to find out the truth behind Nightshade. It won't be easy though; the CIA have hired contract killer Han Cho-Bai to hunt them down and MI6 has asked their old friend Victoria to hunt them down. The story will take them to Paris, London and Moscow and will involve finding a long hidden nuclear weapon. The protagonists will find themselves working with some unlikely allies and one of the people they trust prove to be the most dangerous.Anybody wanting a gritty action thriller will be disappointed; as with the first film there is lots of action and plenty of thrills but it was definitely a comedy… even the scene where somebody is dissolved in an acid bath is played for laughs. The action is delightfully over the top with lots of shooting, fighting, chases and an explosive finale. The cast does a fine job with Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich and Mary-Louise Parker make welcome returns and are joined by the likes of Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Byung Hun Lee all of whom bring something good to the proceedings. While the action is fairly bloodless there is a high body count which some viewers doesn't sit well with all the comedy and the child-friendly UK '12' certificate… personally I doubt it will offend many people as the action is of the 'James Bond' style. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of action who don't want anything unpleasant in general and fans of the first film in particular… I certainly enjoyed it.

Sequels. Sadly most of them are just excuses for lame opportunities to cash in again. This is just that.You know a movie is going to be bad when Anthony Hopkins dials in a terrible performance. His over the top and dial by numbers character isn't believable from the moment he enters. This is a dial it in buddy buddy film, where every scene is predictable in that it will introduce yet another character or a familiar old face just at the right difficult moment. Plot is irrelevant. Make it up as you go along. Just stick to the same formula repeatedly. If you loved RED, you might be amused by the sequel. Just be aware it's more of the same, more unoriginal and the characters you love will need to be around for the next sequel. I give it a generous 5 for some reasonable efforts, a high production value and the immense talent that is wasted in this farce.