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THE OLD MAN & THE GUN
Director: David Lowery Cast: Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover, Tom Waits, Tika Sumpter, Elisabeth Moss MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:33 Release Date: 9/28/18 (limited); 10/5/18 (wider) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | October 4, 2018 For what is supposedly his final performance, Robert Redford plays an aging man who cannot give up on his passion. If The Old Man & the Gun is the last time Redford will appear in front of the camera, the choice for his last acting job is a bit ironic. It's also incredibly appropriate, since he plays a man who has survived and thrived for decades primarily on his charms. Redford is one of the true icons of the screen, and no small part of that is his ease in front of the camera. He's of that old guard of movie stars, whose performances always seem like a version of himself with perhaps a few minor variations. It doesn't matter. People want to see Redford, with his natural charisma, calm way of talking, and sparkling grin. That's the essence of his character in this film, writer/director David Lowery's relaxed story of an older man who wants to get in as much of life as possible, while he still can. That's the way it always has been for him, and he's not going to let a thing like getting older get in the way of his single ambition. By the way, Forrest Tucker, Redford's character, is a notorious bank robber. That's kind of important to note in terms of the plot, but it almost doesn't matter in terms of the story—if you catch my meaning. To make it clearer, the plot follows Forrest (based on a real career criminal, whose story in a New Yorker article by David Grann is the foundation for the film) as he plans and executes a series of daringly simple bank robberies in the early 1980s. Sometimes he receives help from his gang of similarly older accomplices. He also meets a woman who tempts him to change his ways, if such a thing is possible at this point in his life. There's also a detective who is determined to catch the old man, as well as an FBI investigation into his crimes, so Forrest has to evade them, too. That's basically the plot, which almost feels as if it has undergone some sort of alteration at some point between Lowery writing and completing the film. There are a few characters and plot beats that seem to dangle with potential, as if they were more important in an earlier draft of the screenplay or cut of the film. This isn't necessarily a criticism, although the film does feel a bit slight in certain ways because of these hanging elements. It's mostly an observation that, perhaps, Lowery figured out that the most important thing here isn't the robberies, the dynamics of the gang, the detective's resilience to catch his man, the romance between the robber and the random woman he meets, or even Forrest's dilemma between changing his ways or continuing on his way toward a potentially disastrous end. No, instead, Lowery seems determined to give Redford an appropriate swan song here—one that takes full advantage of the actor's natural presence, easy charm, and general way of holding our attention, even as everything around him might not come together. The film's story is as much about Redford as an icon as it is about the feeling of this character. It's a laid-back sort of feeling, emanating from a man who's good at what he does, knows that he is, and doesn't make too big of a fuss about it. In other words, it's as much Redford's story as it is Forrest's. The film begins with one of Forrest's robberies, although it's edited in such a way that it isn't entirely clear what he has done. That's partly to keep a bit uncertain about the character, but it's also because Forrest's methods are so subtle. He simply walks into a bank, greets a teller or manager, and flashes open part of his suit jacket. The bank employee's face drops at the sight of a gun (We never see it during the robberies), but Forrest's face remains with a bright smile. He's polite, a true gentleman, all the way through the process. Nobody else notices, and that includes John Hunt (Casey Affleck), the detective who makes it his mission to arrest Forrest, after the criminal robs a bank under his nose. The added scrutiny puts some pressure on Forrest and his two cohorts (played by Danny Glover and Tom Waits), who are dubbed "the Over-the-Hill Gang." Those two get a couple of good moments: Waits, with a story about a terrible Christmas, and Glover, with a line about how what's possible and what he's capable of are two different things now. After that first robbery, Forrest meets Jewel (Sissy Spacek), a widow having some car trouble on the side of a highway. After the cops pass them by, he takes her to a nearby diner, and they talk about their lives. She's honest. He tells her it's probably a good idea not to trust a word he says. We gradually learn more about the man—a past marriage and an unknown daughter are only important because they don't matter to him. His history matters, but it's more important how he tries to get Jewel to steal a piece of jewelry—and also how she reverses his pull away from the store and makes him pay for the bracelet. It's a simple and easy study of a man stuck in his ways but content with that fact, as well as a mood piece that balances mourning for the past and joy in the present. Mostly, though, The Old Man & the Gun is Redford's show. He knows it. Lowery knows. They make the best of it. Copyright © 2018 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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(for brief strong language)
