Mini movie review: Red (2010)

Red is a light-weight action comedy about a group of retired spies coming together one last time to close a case that happened decades ago.  It should have been much better than it was, based on the cast alone.  Helen Mirren.  John Malkovich.  Morgan Freeman.  Bruce Willis.  Mary Louise Parker.  Brian Cox.  Richard Dreyfus (whom I didn't recognize at first).  Karl Urban.  Don't get me wrong - I found it entertaining for a Friday night zone-out.  Mirren, Freeman and Malkovich seem to be enjoying playing against type.  Willis doesn't do much more than smirk and act tough, although he looks to be in some of the best shape of his life.  But the tone is uneven and an awful lot of bullets fly around without actually hitting all that many people, so the over-the-top violence seems inconsequential.  I liked Red well enough while I was watching it but the more I think about it, the more I have to give it a shrug and a meh.  No harm, no foul, I guess, but no great shakes either.