Red (2008)
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A grieving man seeks justice after a group of boys kills his beloved dog during a robbery.
The story
Avery "Ave" Ludlow, a storekeeper, receives a dog named Red as a gift from his late wife. While fishing, Ave is confronted by three boys, including Danny McCormack, who demands money. When Ave cannot provide enough, Danny kills Red with a shotgun. Seeking justice, Ave attempts to involve the law and the media, but faces little cooperation. After a series of failed attempts to gain public attention and legal recourse, Ave begins a personal pursuit of the boys, leading to a tense confrontation that escalates his quest for retribution.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Avery "Ave" Ludlow's dog, Red, is killed by Danny McCormack during a robbery. After the police and media fail to provide justice, Ave begins stalking the boys. He confronts Harold McCormack, who apologizes, but Ave remains focused on Danny. Ave eventually confronts the McCormack family at their home with Red's corpse. A violent altercation ensues; Ave manages to disarm Danny but is shot in the ear. After a car crash leaves Ave unconscious, he returns to the house. A final confrontation occurs where Danny shoots Ave in the belly. Ave returns fire, wounding the adults but fatally shooting Harold and Pete. Ave survives and eventually accepts a job offer from the reporter, Carrie, who gives him a new dog.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 93
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Trygve Allister Diesen; Lucky McKee
- Writers
- Stephen Susco · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Brian Cox · Avery "Ave" Ludlow; Kyle Gallner · Harold McCormack; Noel Fisher · Danny McCormack; Tom Sizemore · Michael McCormack; Shiloh Fernandez · Pete Doust; Robert Englund · Willie Doust; Amanda Plummer · Mrs. Doust; Ashley Laurence · Mrs. McCormack
- Genres
- thriller
- Themes
- revenge; justice; grief
- Tone and mood
- dramatic; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- revenge; dog; thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- Red by Jack Ketchum
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising Brian Cox's performance for elevating the narrative. It was noted for its emotional depth and understated passion, though some reviewers mentioned tonal inconsistencies and underdeveloped supporting characters.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 71% · review count: 28; Rotten Tomatoes · score: 6.2/10 · scale: 10 · review count: 28; Metacritic · score: 61 · scale: 100 · review count: 7
- Awards and nominations
- Best Actor · Sitges Film Festival · won; Best Film · Sitges Film Festival · nominated
- Production trivia
- The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008.; The film was shot in California and Maryland.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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