Review: 'Red'

A dog's killing leads the owner to seek first restitution and ultimately revenge.

Any movie that opens with the killing of a pet dog is definitely going to capture your attention. But where do you go from there? The Red in "Red" is a 14-year-old ginger-haired pooch that is shotgun-blasted, as a cruel joke, by a trio of hooligans in the presence of his owner, Avery Ludlow (Brian Cox). Avery methodically goes about seeking restitution, then, when every avenue is closed off to him, revenge. As he becomes increasingly unbalanced, we are meant to see that, though his cause is just, enough is enough. The same is true for "Red," which begins promisingly and then swerves into absurdity. Grade: C- (Rated R for violence and language.)