Netflix caper doesn’t justify its hefty budget LONDON: It’s fair to say that Netflix has disrupted the movie industry over the last few years — and not just because cinemas were closed for 18 months and streaming services became the new normal. But without box office takings to worry about, the hope was that Netflix (and its big-spending competitors) would embolden leading filmmakers and empower a new generation of writers and directors to take the kind of creative risks that might make established studios and distributors think twice. While that might be true (and it’s debatable), it has also seemingly enabled the production of a number of big-budget movies that should really have been nipped in the bud at the planning stage. Perhaps the old-school studios might have insisted on some quality control? Such common sense appears to have been entirely absent from “Red Notice”, which throws A-listers Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot into a globe-trotting action heist caper that has none of the charm, wit or smarts of the numerous films it shamelessly steals from. When FBI profiler John Hartley (Johnson) is framed for stealing a priceless McGuffin, he teams up with Nolan Booth (Reynolds) — the infamous art thief he’s been zealously hunting — to catch the mysterious Bishop (Gadot), a femme fatale-type who’s proving every bit as talented a thief as Booth. The trio ricochet from one set piece to another, with Interpol behind them every step of the way. Needless to say, there are heists, chases and double crosses aplenty. Sounds great, right? Well, it isn’t. The jokes don’t land, the script appears to have been penned by a not-especially-gifted toddler, and even the film’s trio of high-earning stars can’t seem to rustle up any enthusiasm (or chemistry) between them. “Red Notice” is reportedly Netflix’s most expensive film to date. It seems odd, then, that it includes something as reductive as a Borat impression. Presumably, a lot of people signed off on this film. And while the pulling power of its star trio will undoubtedly mean it gets plenty of views, cooler, more discerning heads should have prevailed.