Sundance. Red.

"Even the most fervent dog-lovers don't generally believe in the death penalty for killers of canines," notes Eric D Snider at Cinematical. "That's the dilemma at the heart of Red, an emotionally gripping if slightly over-wrought drama based on a novel by Jack Ketchum."

"Although [Brian] Cox does his best to sell it, I just didn't buy the story of the old man (Cox) whose dog, good 'ol Red, is senselessly shot by a roving band of wealthy punks... while he and Red are fishin' at the lake just outside of town, triggering a rash of outsized vigilante justice that grows more ludicrous by the minute," writes Rob Davis for Paste.

"Whereas many people might watch Red and dismiss it as a third-rate television movie, I find it to be an unexpected ante-upping of the revenge movie genre," writes Michael Tully at Hammer to Nail. "The elements that make it feel like a third-rate television movie cannot be denied - classical camera set-ups, two-dimensional supporting characters, obvious dialogue, a Hallmarkian score - but in the case of Red, the Norwegian offness adds an unsettling dimension to the proceedings."

It's "pure pulp fiction," concedes Steve Ramos at indieWIRE, "a revenge tale, but one of dramatic substance and cinematic polish."

Posted by dwhudson at January 30, 2008 1:35 PM