"Better to meet a she-bear robbed of its cubs than to confront a fool immersed in folly." (Proverbs 17:12)

The biblical book of Proverbs is a good companion for appreciating the film Red.

Av Ludlow didn't go out looking for a fool, but he came across one all the same. Av has gone out fishing with his dog Red. While fishing, three teenagers come, one (Danny) carrying a gun. They threaten the old man but don't harm him; but before they leave, for no reason, Danny shoots Red. Av is brokenhearted. Red had been his companion for fourteen years—a gift from his now dead wife. Av begins seeking justice for what has been done. He isn't out for revenge, or for money, but for justice—something that will bring some sense of healing. As the story plays out, we discover that the words from Proverbs are true: a fool is a dangerous thing to confront.

When Proverbs speaks of a fool, it refers to one who has no wisdom: that is, one who has no understanding of living in God's way. Wisdom and folly are not about intelligence or education, but about a sense of godly living. I thought of Proverbs and the role of the fool often as I watched Red. The story shows the destruction that can come from the folly of a fool.

My mind first came to Proverbs early on as Danny torments Av while fishing. Danny is filled with malice. He doesn't know Av or want to. He just wants to assert his superiority. He tells Av, "you have nothing", only an old truck, an old dog and some worthless fishing equipment. Early in Proverbs (1:7b) we find "fools despise wisdom and instruction." It says later (10:23a), "Doing wrong is like sport for the fool." Those verses describe Danny very well. Danny despises the life that Av has—being in harmony with the world around him. It is because of such spite that Danny takes away the one thing that Av truly values and treats that evil as if it were a game.

Av has lived enough and suffered enough to seek justice not in revenge, but in trying to establish wisdom. He first goes to Danny's father, hoping that he will teach his son wisdom. Av's goal, he says, is that the boy will "feel damn bad" about what he has done. For Av, justice is found when people do what is right. But it turns out that Danny's father should also be characterized as a fool. He has no interest in bringing restoration and healing. He only wants to protect what is his (especially his money and standing). Av will not give up. He keeps pushing for justice in various ways. Each step is countered with more and more violence. Justice is the way of wisdom; revenge is the way of folly. As Av seeks justice and the others seek revenge, the words of Proverbs speak again: "A fool gives full vent to anger, but the wise quietly holds it back" (29:11).

The film shows the difference between justice and revenge. Too often we think justice is about getting even—getting something back for what was lost: an eye for an eye. As Av seeks justice, we note that he's not after any of that. Even as he thinks about a lawsuit, he understands that it would be only money. Justice may seem like revenge, but it is about bringing a right relationship. In this case, Av doesn't want the boys to have to pay something—he wants them to discover that they are living as fools and need wisdom.

At one point Danny's father asks why Av is going to all this trouble and expense "for an old mongrel dog that you already buried." For the father, it is just about a dog. But Av has much deeper issues than just the dog. He knows how much sorrow can come from an undisciplined child—a child who does not understand the value of life and wisdom, a child that lives in folly.

The struggle for wisdom can come with a very high cost. Even Av, in the end, finds the cost of justice (if what happens is justice) has cost him a bit of his soul. For those who live as fools the price is far dearer.