Lucky Mckee's Red is Brian Cox's shining, monumental, jewel performance of a lifetime. The excellent UK man has constantly wowed us in endless supporting roles (X Men 2, Troy, Manhunter, to name a few). Here he gets to sink his teeth into a well written lead role, and he is a revelation. He plays Avery Ludlow, a quiet old gentleman who minds his own business and is content to live out his years in a small town, with only the company of his old mutt, Red. When a trio of young rich punks, (led by Neol Fischer in a performance of sociopathic savagery), heartlessly shoot his old dog for no other reason than their own amusement, something snaps in Avery. The heartbreaking tragedy in his family history (delivered to us in a monologue by Cox that will bring your knees to the floor before the tears get there, and is his best work I've ever seen) is suddenly pushed to the forefront of his mind, and he seeks retribution. After burying Red, he figures out where the bullet came from, tracks down the punks, two of which are from an affluent family, and begs for them to admit what they did, and apologize to him. Things take a difficult turn when not only is the lead punk completely belligerent and unwilling to atone, but his scumbag prick father (Tom Sizemore coated in his usual hopped up, camouflage jacket of sleaze), is just as much uncooperative as his kid. This leaves Avery to raise the stakes, and find other ways to get the resolution he deserves. He uses the killing of his dog as an outlet for the rage, sadness and anger that he has clearly suppressed for much of his life, finding some peace within himself by pursuing truth and in a way, eventually revenge. It's not a revenge themed film though. All he sets out to do is get an apology and make sure they get disciplined. But things get way, way out of control in a blistering final confrontation. Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, and Amanda Plummer have great white trash cameos, and Kim Dickens is lovely as a sympathetic reporter who befriends, and in a way falls in love Avery. Animal lovers be warned: the scene where Red dies packs such a punch you will feel sick. I cried. But don't let that deject you from checking out this wonderful, unique film that takes a pulpy premise that could have descended into Death Wish style mayhem, and gives it a tender, complex, human approach that really makes it something special.

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.

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!

While fishing in Miller's Band with his dog Red, the lonely widower and owner of a small general store Avery Ludlow (Brian Cox) is surrounded by three teenage thieves seeking money and without any reason, one of them shoots Red on the head. Avery investigates the empty cartridge and finds the owner of the shotgun Danny McCormack (Noel Fisher), his brother Harold (Kyle Gallner) and their friend Pete Doust (Shiloh Fernandez). Avery seeks out Danny's father Michael McCormack (Tom Sizemore) that is a corrupt businessman expecting excuses and punishment for the boys, but he finds an arrogant man that does not pay attention to his complaints about the cruelty of Danny to his dog. He decides to sue Danny using his friend and lawyer Sam Berry (Richard Riehle), but Mr. McCormack uses his political influence to obstruct justice. The reporter Carrie Donnel (Kim Dickens) makes a program for TV showing the cruelty of the offender and how justice does not work, but again Mr. McCormack affects her work. However, Avery does not give up of his quest for justice.Yesterday I saw the trailer of "Red" and I liked what I saw, so I decided to watch this movie expecting to see a sort of "Death Wish". However the story is a powerful drama with a complex lead character performed by the veteran Brian Cox. In this regard, it is great to see the quest for justice of an old man against the corrupt system ruled by money and influence. The cast is superb, with Noel Fisher perfect in the role of the mean Danny, and Tom Sizemore in an awesome performance in the role of the patriarch of a dysfunctional family. Unfortunately the conclusion is not well resolved and quite pointless. The Brazilian title misleads the viewer, giving a wrong idea of the plot. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Rastros de Vingança" ("Tracks of Revenge")