Retirement is the gateway to peace for some. Morning coffee, a quiet home, perhaps conversations over the phone with someone they know from afar... For Frank Moses, life looked exactly like this. Until that peace was shattered when an armed team broke down the door. Directed by Robert Schwentke and adapted from the comic book by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, this action comedy manages to be one of the most entertaining examples of its genre. However, the real magic of the film stems not so much from the story it tells as from who tells that story. The meeting of giants such as Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren in the same frame takes an ordinary action pattern and turns it into almost a festival of characters. RED blends the concepts of old age and danger in an unusual way. These characters, who have been through the ruthless gears of the intelligence world, are now branded as "retired dangerous"; this acronym is also the title of the film. But which side poses the danger becomes increasingly complicated as the film progresses. Is it the state, the past, or the struggle to hold on to ordinary life that is the real enemy? The film does not shy away from asking these questions; moreover, it does not play it cool while doing so. The film occupies a unique place with the delicate balance it strikes between its tone, tension, and comedy. Malkovich's performance full of paranoid energy, Mirren's coolly machine-gun-wielding grace and Freeman's modest but deep presence take the film far beyond a one-dimensional action feast. Mary-Louise Parker, on the other hand, brings an unexpected dynamism to the story; her presence is one of the elements that sustains the film's emotional warmth. The tension established with the CIA agent played by Karl Urban forms the backbone of the film. The balance of power between the two sides is constantly shifting; it's unclear who is preying on whom. Those who sit waiting for something heavy may be disappointed, but for those who are looking for that relaxed, confident, cast-enjoying type of production that Hollywood increasingly offers, this film is exactly what they are looking for.