‘The Boys’ Star’s “Explosive” Action Thriller Comes Out of Retirement on Streaming

Before becoming known for his role in The Boys, Karl Urban proved his action skills in a fantastic, yet often overlooked, thriller. While he’s famous for playing tough characters like Judge Dredd and even leading roles, Urban is also happy to support the hero of the story – and take a beating! He did just that in the 2010 film RED, a movie that’s recently become available to stream and deserves more attention.

Both RED and RED 2 are currently available to stream on Hulu and are gaining popularity with viewers. This week, RED is the third most-watched movie on the platform, following Together, a horror film starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, which is currently number one. RED 2 isn’t far behind, landing in seventh place. RED featured a fantastic cast of experienced actors, led by Bruce Willis, and also starring Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker, and Richard Dreyfuss.

The movie RED, based on the graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, features Bruce Willis as Frank Moses, a retired CIA agent who becomes the target of assassins. When more killers come after him, Frank has to reunite his old team to uncover who wants them all dead.

When retired CIA operative Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is targeted by assassins, he’s forced out of retirement and calls on his former colleagues for help. He brings together the seasoned Joe (Morgan Freeman), unpredictable Marvin (John Malkovich), and resourceful Victoria (Helen Mirren) to expose a dangerous plot that puts them all at risk. Their only chance of survival lies in a seemingly impossible task: infiltrating the CIA headquarters using their unique skills.

‘RED 2’ Should Have Been Retired Before It Was Made

Summit Entertainment

Look, I went into RED not expecting some groundbreaking masterpiece, and honestly, that’s perfectly okay. It’s a really fun action thriller starring Bruce Willis, and it delivers exactly what you want: great action sequences! Both critics and regular moviegoers seemed to feel the same way – it’s sitting at a solid 72% on Rotten Tomatoes. IMDb users gave it a 7.0, which feels about right. People kept calling it an ‘explosive action-comedy’ with a fantastic cast of veterans, and I’d agree – it really nails that balance between action and laughs.

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The sequel, RED 2, released in 2013, didn’t fare as well. While it added impressive actors like Antony Hopkins, Lee Byung-hun, and Catherine Zeta-Jones to the cast, a disappointing script and excessive action couldn’t save it. This resulted in a much lower score on Rotten Tomatoes, with only 44%. Despite this, the film still has fans, earning a 63% audience rating.

2026-01-12 18:36

‘RED 2’ Should Have Been Retired Before It Was Made

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