A Snowy Cat & Mouse Thriller
Red Dot is a competent enough thriller but is likely to get lost in the blizzard of action flicks that roll in across 2021. In its simplest form, this movie plays out as an 80 minute cat and mouse chase, with lots of running and surviving across a bleak, snowy wasteland. The characters are generally well written though, with a nice twist midway through to keep things fresh. It may not be the best thriller of the year, but it is a perfectly serviceable one, making for a decent enough watch. Our central duo here are Nadja and David, who have been married for a year and a half. Following David’s less-than-romantic proposal to his girlfriend in a public bathroom, their honeymoon period soon ends and they wind up falling into the humdrum of married life. Things are not going great for this couple, and when Nadja learns that she’s pregnant, big question marks remain over the direction their relationship is going to take. In order to patch up their differences, David suggests they head to the North of Sweden for a hiking holiday getaway. That getaway turns into a nightmare though when the duo find themselves mericlessly hunted by a madman with a sniper rifle. With a red laser sight focused on the pair, Nadja and David fight to survive as they eventually uncover the truth around exactly who’s chasing them. The story here is pretty simple, although that aforementioned twist ending does a great job explaining why they’re being hunted. In fact, this twist is worth the time investment alone, turning everything upside down as we start to question the motives of the different characters. Beyond that though, Red Dot adopts all the usual hallmarks of this genre you’d expect, with a simple enough opening set-up and lots of action peppered throughout. The set-up is pretty cliched though and we’ve seen this numerous times across a number of different genres. It hits all the usual plot beats you’d expect, with enough pace and tension to keep things enjoyable, despite its familiarity. There are some niggling issues here though, namely from some of the stupid character actions and the plot armour our central protagonist seems to be wearing for much of the movie. The amount of injuries David sustains is pretty shocking and the fact that he’s still able to stand by the end is testament to the suspension of disbelief you need to adopt going into this. With that in mind though, Red Dot is a typical popcorn-munching thriller, armed with a few surprise twists. With a lively run-time that never outstays its welcome, Netflix’s latest thriller is a decent enough picture but unlikely to be one you’ll remember long after the credits roll.
