I just finished watching Red One (2024). Yep, took me a minute, I know a lot of y'all finished watching it weeks ago. But did you notice this plot flaw?
I should start by saying Red One was a very good movie. The idea that mythological creatures are real and protected was great. And bringing Krampus and Gryla who are Christmas villains from folklores over the centuries was brilliant too.
The acting was on point, the plot was thrilling enough, and the comedy was good. It was such a a great idea for a Christmas movie.
But the plot flaw...
After Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans) helped Drift (Dwayne Johnson) to find the person who contracted him to find Santa, the ELF and Drift had no more use for him. He was now where he shouldn't be.
But because they story writers had other plans for Evans and Johnson, and because they really wanted the Evans-Johnson partnership they kept O'Malley on the mission.
The only information they needed from O'Malley was who contracted him to find Santa. He agreed and them find the find the person, after finding the person the next lead to follow was Gryla, a mythical being, and a mythical location which is Krampus's abode had to be sneaked into, this new lead had nothing to do with O'Malley.
What was he taken along for when he wasn't part of the force, he wasn't versed in the magical/mythical world, he was just a civilian, his tracking skills were no longer needed, and worst of all he wasn't trusted. Drift didn't even like working with him, always expecting him to do something mischievous at every turn.
Yet Drift took him to a place as sensitive as Krampus's liar? A place where he knew any wrong move and Krampus would pounce on them and the entire mission could be ruined and Santa's life and Christmas would be in jeopardy?
Didn't make any sense at all.
It's just like if the FBI contacted a street criminal/fraudster and forced him to give up information about a client, and after that the FBI agent in charge takes that criminal to sneak into a secret Vladimir Putin's lair in some secret secure location.
Does that make any sense?
Of course the criminal would have been ditched immediately after giving up the client. If they might be needing him later on he'll be held in custody, not taken along for such a sensitive mission.
So now that we see it, how messed up is this? It ruined the story to some good extent because O'Malley sticking around was the whole driver of the story, they should have had a good reason for keeping him.
That would have been simple, simply come up with a good reason why he was kept, maybe he heard there'll be gold in the liar and he found a way to follow Drift even though he was left behind, or something! But just don't make the FBI take a guy from the street into Vladimir Putin's secret lair on an covert mission.
The End
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