Red One (2024)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A disillusioned security chief and a black-hat hacker must team up to rescue Santa Claus before Christmas Eve.
The story
Callum Drift, the head of North Pole security, is preparing to retire after a long career protecting the secrets of the holiday. However, his plans are interrupted on Christmas Eve when an unidentified black ops team invades the North Pole complex and kidnaps Santa Claus. To find him, Callum is forced into an uneasy alliance with Jack O'Malley, a cynical freelance black-hat hacker who inadvertently helped expose Santa's location. Together, the unlikely pair must navigate a series of dangerous obstacles and mysterious threats to locate the kidnapped figure and ensure the holiday remains safe before the clock strikes midnight.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Callum Drift, a weary security chief for the Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority (MORA), is forced to partner with Jack O'Malley, a black-hat hacker, to find Santa Claus after a kidnapping by a mysterious woman. They track the trail to Aruba, where they learn the kidnapper is the winter witch Grýla, who is working with her ex-lover, Krampus. Grýla intends to use 'Glaskäfigs' (glass cages) to imprison everyone on the Naughty List. After a series of confrontations and a rescue of Jack's son, Dylan, the duo discovers that Grýla and her forces have infiltrated the North Pole complex. In a final confrontation, Callum, Jack, and allies face off against Grýla. Santa is eventually rescued, defeats Grýla, and seals her in a Glaskäfig. The film ends with Santa inviting Jack and Dylan on his sleigh, while Callum decides to stay on the job.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jake Kasdan
- Writers
- Chris Morgan · screenplay; Hiram Garcia · story
- Cast and characters
- Dwayne Johnson · Callum Drift; Chris Evans · Jack "the Wolf" O'Malley; Lucy Liu · Zoe Harlow; Kiernan Shipka · Grýla; Bonnie Hunt · Mrs. Claus; Kristofer Hivju · Krampus; Nick Kroll · Ted; Wesley Kimmel · Dylan; J. K. Simmons · Santa Claus
- Genres
- action; comedy; adventure; Christmas
- Themes
- Partnership; Sacrifice; Faith
- Tone and mood
- Action; Comedy; Absurd
- Setting
- The North Pole and various locations including Aruba during the Christmas season.
- Premise and plot tags
- Kidnapping; Mythology; Hacking
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews from critics but was more positively received by audiences.
- Reported review scores
- PostTrak · score: 78% · scale: percentage
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended for a 2023 release on Prime Video.; Dwayne Johnson pushed for an IMAX release.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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