# Question about the movie "Red"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-movie-red/572033
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [February 20, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-movie-red/572033 "2011-02-20T18:42:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-movie-red/572033/1 "2011-02-20T18:42:28Z")
In the scene where they are interrogating the bad guy, and Morgan Freeman’s character decides to act as a distraction to allow the rest to escape, who is his assassin?
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### Author:  [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-movie-red/572033/2 "2011-02-20T19:01:12Z")
Probably one of the agents loyal to the CIA woman, or the same source as the first assassin that tried to kill him.
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### Author:  [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-movie-red/572033/3 "2011-02-20T19:20:18Z")
It’s been several months since I saw the movie, but I’d thought Helen Mirren’s character shot Freeman’s character in order to provide the distraction for the group. The CIA agent in charge (Karl Urban’s character) was determined _not_ to shoot, and in fact was surprised by the kill.
I thought that’s what made it both a coldblooded team decision and a clear and deliberate personal sacrifice.
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### Author:  [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-movie-red/572033/4 "2011-02-20T19:23:24Z")
> [@xenophon41](#):
>
> It’s been several months since I saw the movie, but I’d thought Helen Mirren’s character shot Freeman’s character in order to provide the distraction for the group. The CIA agent in charge (Karl Urban’s character) was determined _not_ to shoot, and in fact was surprised by the kill.
>
> I thought that’s what made it both a coldblooded team decision and a clear and deliberate personal sacrifice.
I thought it might be that too but in the scene right after, there’s no evidence that her gun was fired, no reaction from the GF, and the sound was different than the later sound when her gun was fired.
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### Author:  [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-movie-red/572033/5 "2011-02-20T19:28:32Z")
I’ve only seen it once, but I thought that Bruce Willis shot him from behind to cause the distraction. The little discussion they had beforehand felt to me like Freeman was expecting to die.
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### Author:  [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-movie-red/572033/6 "2011-02-20T19:30:12Z")
Anybody read the comic? The answer is probably there.
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### Author:  [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-movie-red/572033/7 "2011-02-20T19:35:21Z")
I haven’t read the comic, but my understanding is that the movie is very loosely based on it. Morgen Freeman’s character isn’t even in the comic.
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### Author:  [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)
#### Post date: [February 20, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-movie-red/572033/8 "2011-02-20T19:37:16Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#):
>
> I’ve only seen it once, but I thought that Bruce Willis shot him from behind to cause the distraction. The little discussion they had beforehand felt to me like Freeman was expecting to die.
Makes sense but in this situation, there’s no reason to take a killing shot. They could have fired into the wall, Freeman would take a pratfall, and it would have the same effect. This would argue against Mirren shooting either, as they were all skilled enough to wound instead of kill.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-movie-red/572033/9 "2011-02-21T02:12:38Z")
Of course Freeman was expecting to die – he had incurable cancer, remember? That was why he chose to be the distraction – it was risky and he knew it, but he didn’t have much longer to live anyway. It’s classic greasing the skids.\*
He was shot by one of the CIA/FBI guys. The chief agent realizes at that point he was not in charge of things.
\*When you make a dilemma easier for characters. It’s usually much better writing if you keep making things harder for them at all points. In this case, it allowed them to kill the character and reduce the emotional depth (“well, he was going to die soon, anyway”), which is OK in a light hearted adventure flick. But a serious movie would have had Freeman spending the time talking about attending his daughter’s wedding or some such happy event.
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### Author:  [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-movie-red/572033/10 "2011-02-21T03:39:18Z")
He had six fingers.