RED

Taking off from Warren Ellis’ comic book series, RED treats its improbably battle-ready characters as live-action versions of cartoon fantasy figures. It’s rather like a big-screen CGI/video game that has been given temporary respite from soul-less technological routine by the crafty comic spirits of a half-dozen feisty performers. The central sextet includes Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich and Brian Cox (as retired but still restless “black-ops” agents) and Mary Louise Parker (as the Willis character’s newly recruited, semi-kidnapped girlfriend). And Richard Dreyfuss and 93-year-old Ernest Borgnine make notable contributions to the rambunctiousness as well. Karl Urban and Rebecca Pidgeon have the straight-man/“villain” roles, the younger generation of CIA agents carrying out orders to dispose of these older agents who’ve been deemed RED (“Retired: Extremely Dangerous”). Each of the central six gets a moment or two to showboat and/or shine to pleasing comic effect. Feather River Cinemas, Paradise Cinema 7 and Tinseltown. Rated PG-13.