Bringing together three actors with impeccable comic timing and charisma should have been an easy sell, but Red Notice fails to impress. The globe-trotting thriller from writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber follows in the footsteps of treasure hunt flicks like National Treasure and the Indiana Jones franchise. FBI agent Johnson Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) is in the process of tracking wisecracking thief Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds), who is on a mission to steal Cleopatra’s three precious sparkling eggs. However, Hartley and Booth get conned by art thief the Bishop (Gal Gadot). Red Notice then follows the trio as they try to outsmart one another and take a trip around the world to obtain the precious eggs while running from Interpol.
As a fan of the cast, I was really hoping to enjoy this film, but was quite disappointed. Reynolds and Johnson have solid comic timing, as their past films demonstrate, but they have little chemistry even though the banter is promising at times. Even their one liners fall flat. They barely inspire a chuckle as even Reynolds can’t save them despite his signature deadpan delivery. Red Notice is proof that one can hire the best talent and put them in a room, but the effort amounts to wasted potential without a good script or strong direction.
The action and stunt choreography are nevertheless eye-catching — especially the work given to Gadot. She kicks ass in the superb moves that are rarely given to women in an action flick or heist thriller. Gadot relishes the opportunity to play the baddie, and very quickly impresses. She holds her own as she faces off against Reynolds and Johnson — and, at times, outshines them. Red Notice sets itself up for a sequel so perhaps there’s hope for a more entertaining adventure with the trio.