Edinburgh International Film Festival

The film Red by Tygrve Allister Diesen is a classic morality tale culminating in a literal battle between good and evil. The film features Brian Cox as Avery Ludlow, an older man getting close to retirement. He and his trusty fourteen-year old dog Red plan on living out their last years together. However, a group of angry teens has different plans when they stumble upon Avery while he and Red are fishing. The teens, one of which is armed with a shotgun, threaten him and takes his wallet. In one parting act of violence the armed teenager shoots Red at point blank range, killing him after a fateful whine. The rest of the movie is a story of Avery’s quest for the truth and justice, not revenge, as he attempts to resolve the conflict with nonviolent means. The families of the teens react with violence and hatred toward him, which culminates in one moment of deception, betrayal, and, in the end, redemption.
Red is a film not particularly well suited for younger audiences, due to its inherit subject matter and violence. However, it is a film that in the end will leave a more mature audience with a sense that a spiritual journey had been completed and shared with all. The color red was well used throughout the film as a scene enhancement, sometimes connected with anger and violence, but more often associated with the more ancient connection between red and the ideas of purity and virtue. Some shaky acting is found in the film, and less than excellent choices for a couple of actors and actresses were made for this film. However, some of the actors, especially Kyle Gallner (Harold) deliver unassailable performances. I would rate this movie as having earned three and a half stars, because of the overly scripted actions of some of the cast, and various other smaller issues throughout.