Dune<\/a>.)<\/p>\nWith its fairly weak plot and barrage of rather featureless action scenes (including some poor CGI), it\u2019s a film that relies almost solely on the charms of those three stars. Ostensibly, Johnson is playing an FBI profiler, Reynolds an art thief and Gal Gadot his nemesis, but really, Johnson is playing Dwayne Johnson, Reynolds is playing Ryan Reynolds, and Gadot is playing Gal Gadot. That wouldn\u2019t necessarily be an issue if it wasn\u2019t for the fact that everything else about the film is so utterly generic \u2013 but alas, not even the undoubted charisma of those A-listers can save this from being something of a slog.<\/p>
The set-up is as follows: the FBI\u2019s top profiler John Hartley (Johnson) is in Rome to prevent the theft of three golden eggs that once belonged to Cleopatra, but soon after attempting to arrest notorious art thief Nolan Booth (Reynolds), he finds himself drawn into a complex plot. The person behind the heist, it turns out, is not Booth but his rival \u201cThe Bishop\u201d (Gadot) and so he begs Hartley to join forces with him to catch her once and for all \u2013 which leads to a grand, globe-trotting expedition that sees them encounter bull fights, treasure maps and deep fake technology.<\/p>\n
At various points, the film invites comparisons with the terrific Netflix series Lupin<\/a> and beloved blockbuster franchises such as James Bond and \u2013 very overtly \u2013 Indiana Jones, but Red Notice doesn\u2019t have anywhere near the requisite style, wit or genuine excitement to pull any of those comparisons off. Reynolds spends the whole movie in full-on wisecracking Deadpool mode, dispensing quips and put-downs every few seconds in his trademark style, but the hit rate is very poor and for the most part these gags feel rather tired. Meanwhile, there is also a bizarre and rather cringe-worthy cameo from Ed Sheeran, while Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood make surprise appearances via Gal Gadot\u2019s television screen.<\/p>\n