Director: Frank Peluso
Writer: Frank Peluso (Screenplay)
Starring: Michael Biehn, Ryan Carnes, Kenzie Dalton, Owen Burke, Rick Salomon, Christian Madsen, Michael Madsen
Plot: When their father is murdered, three brothers descend upon an Oregon mountain river to spread his ashes. After they arrive, one of their children goes missing. One of the brothers was himself abducted 30 years ago when they visited this same river, but he has blocked the incident out of his mind. Only by unlocking the mysteries inside his subconscious, will they be able find the child.
Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Thriller That Lacks Intensity
Story: Red Handed starts with a Pagan ritual that was once famous in the local area in the 12th century, one with real horrors. We see Lou (Michael Madsen) a car mechanic in the town now, he has three children Gus (Carnes), Pete (Burke) and Duffy (Christen Madsen) with his own relationship with his brothers Reynolds (Biehn) and Dale (Salomon) being distant.
When Lou gets murdered by his brother, the brothers return to the town for the first time in years to spread his ashes. This trip brings back the memories of the three’s childhood, where one of them once went missing, following the traditions of the area, which might have a reason for their father’s death.
Thoughts on Red Handed
Characters – Reynolds is the brother of Lou, he is older and has always remained closer to the family traditions. Duffy is the son that is closest to his father, he has his own family even if there are a few problems in his marriage, he is reluctant to sees his brothers, but must work with them over the weekend. Pete is the eldest of the brothers, he likes the quiet of the world unlike the other too, as well as having a trauma from his past which he doesn’t like to open up about. Lou is their father who has always tried to keep them close, but just like him with his brothers, has seen them becoming distant. We do have three brothers that have become distant, which sees them reuniting having issues between them.
Performances – We do have two big names in this film with Michael Biehn and Michael Madsen who are here to show the experience the film needs, while the younger cast, where Christian Madsen, Owen Burke and Ryan Carnes all work well in the dysfunctional siblings.
Story – The story here follows three brothers that come together for their father’s funeral only to find themselves in the middle of a pagan community that their father didn’t want to be part off. This is a story that can be split into two, the brothers coming together shows that life can push family’s apart and coming back together can help problems be talked through, this is all great. When we look at the other side of the story we are dealing with pagan followers which is more about them planning in the background without getting into the true depths of the ritual.
Thriller – The film tries to keep us guessing on what will be happening next, but we never get the intensity we could get with the pagan style movie.
Settings – The film keeps us in the small backcountry homes, which are near historic important locations, which does help keep everything contained.
Scene of the Movie – Brothers together again, touching moment between the brothers.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Most of the Pagan side didn’t feel like it was important enough.
Final Thoughts – This is a thriller that doesn’t hit the heights it could, the serious relationship between brothers is the highlight, while the pagan side almost feels tagged on.
Overall: Thriller without Intensity.
