Stars: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, Rebecca Pidgeon, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine Running time: 111 mins
Rating: ★★★

BRUCE Willis never did take himself too seriously when he was doing his action man stuff in films like the Die Hard series. After a cameo in Sylvester Stallone’s old guys actioner The Expendables, Willis is back on top billing and showing he can still throw a punch and fire a gun with the best of them.

While there’s plenty of firepower, stunts and action director Robert Schwentke ensures everyone has tongue placed firmly in cheek. How often do you see a Dame of the British Empire – step forward Helen Mirren – behind an enormous machine gun mowing down the bad guys.

Based on a comic series by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, RED stands for Retired, Extremely Dangerous.

The letters are stamped on the files of veterans of the CIA who’s taken their pensions and gone into retirement. At least they would do if someone hadn’t sent a hit squad to eliminate them.

Frank Moses lives a boring existence in suburbia, where the highlight of his day is flirting on the phone with customer services agent Sarah (Parker). He rounds up some old CIA chums to find out what they’ve done to deserve a death sentence and finds old friend Joe (Freeman) in a care home before reuniting with paranoid Marvin Boggs (Malkovich) in his secret bunker.

The former agents then add sniper Victoria (Mirren) to their ranks before cottoning on to the fact that the action against them has something to do with an old mission in Guatemala.

RED overstays its welcome despite Schwentke’s relentless pace and action sequences that are spectacular and explosive without resorting to too much blood and guts. What makes RED most fun is watching a cast of A-listers letting their hair down and having a good time. There’s even a cameo from veteran actor Ernest Borgnine, now 93, playing the keeper of the records back at CIA headquarters.