The Old Man and the Gun
The Old Man & the Gun is a pleasantly breezy cops and (aging) robbers tale anchored by Redford’s charismatic performance - be it his last one or not.
The third movie in as many old age from writer / director David Lowery , The Old Man & the Gunhas been partly overshadow by star Robert Redford ’s proclamation that this will be his final film before he retire from acting - a decree the Hollywood picture has since ( sorta ) backtrack on . Regardless , The Old Man & the Gunis an intriguing projection on its own terminus and brings the taradiddle of real - life career turn and conman Forrest Tucker to life as a lightweight historic offense trick . The resulting flick likewise makes for yet another memorable addition to Lowery ’s increasingly eclectic body of work as a director . The Old Man & the Gunis a sunnily windy bull and ( aging ) robbers fib cast anchor by Redford ’s charismatic performance - be it his last one or not .
The Old Man & the Gunpicks up in Texas circa 1981 , as Forrest ( Redford ) - now well into his seventies - executes a bank looting with the assistance of his fellow senior citizen malefactor Teddy ( Danny Glover ) and Walter ( Tom Waits ) . Having successfully elude the constabulary , Forrest thereafter stops to assist an elderly woman key out Jewel ( Sissy Spacek ) , after spotting her maroon on the highway by motortruck problems . The pair are quick to sparkle a flirtatious connection and keep their wooing over the months that follow , even though Jewel does n’t believe Forrest ( who claims his name is Bob Callahan ) when he tells her upfront what he does for a keep .
Along the path , Forrest cross paths with John Hunt ( Casey Affleck ) , a 40 - yr quondam Texan detective who begins to follow up on the law - breaking septuagenarian after Forrest robs a bank right under John ’s olfactory organ ( somewhat literally ) . As John see that this law-breaking was but the late in a string of robberies committed across multiple states by the same homo - an aging feller whom most everyone describes as being gentlemanly and good - natured - he discover his own passion for being a bull has been reinvigorated . Before long , John and his squad find themselves close in on Forrest and his so - call " Over the Hill Gang " … even as John begins to marvel if he really wants to take in Forrest at all .
Adapted from David Grann ’s 2003 article " The Old Man and the Gun " forThe New Yorker , Lowery ’s hand openly plays fast and loose with the fact of the real Forrest Tucker ’s lifetime ( something the celluloid ’s opening rubric batting order clarifies ) , in parliamentary procedure to tell a account that works as both cheery crime romp and an enlightening memoir about Forrest ’s feat as not only a bank robber , but a legend in the art of hightail it prison . At the same metre , The Old Man & the Gunresembles Lowery ’s last two films ( thePete ’s Dragonremake andA Ghost Story ) , in the room that it blends whimsical scenes with more contemplative sequence that reflect on the very nature of human existence and what ultimately drives masses to live their life sentence the way they do . The Old Man & the Gunlacks the poignancy of Lowery ’s most recent motion-picture show , but help to make up for that by staying light on its feet throughout its brisk runtime .
WhileThe Old Man & the Gunhas the flavour of a modern indie film , itlookslike the sorting of one-time - fashioned caper that might have been relinquish in theaters back in the late seventies or other ' eighty . Lowery and his theater director of picture taking Joe Anderson ( Do n’t Think Twice ) successfully maintain this trick through their economic consumption of not only beautifully granular 16 mm plastic film neckcloth , but also the types of tv camera movement ( swish pans , moving soar shots ) that were more popular around the prison term of the movie ’s events . The bountiful period costume from Annell Brodeur and amiably repose - back jazzy score by Daniel Hart ( both of whom have collaborate with Lowery before ) further suggest thatThe Old Man & the Guncould pass for being an reliable piece of older Americana cinema ( in a beneficial way , intellect ) , if someone did n’t know better .
Redford , who also collaborated with Lowery onPete ’s Dragon , likewise imbuesThe Old Man & the Gunwith the same Zen of quiet charm , swagger and depth of character that made him a big concealment fable in the first situation . While the moving picture is foremost a show window for Redford ’s acting , Spacek and Affleck nevertheless deliver attentive operation here as two mass who obtain themselves at crossroads ( albeit , very dissimilar crossroads ) in their lives , upon contact Forrest . At the same time , however , The Old Man & the Gunfalls a act light when it comes to fleshing out the personalities of its supporting players , including the other two members of Forrest ’s team and John ’s married woman , Maureen ( Tika Sumpter ) . Even so , the latter does share a few touching moments with Affleck as Joe , as do genuine - life baby and blood brother Ari Elizabeth and Teagan Johnson as the twain ’s children , Abilene and Tyler .
In general , The Old Man & the Gunis load with lauded player in nonaged roles ( see : Isiah Whitlock Jr. , Elizabeth Moss , Keith Carradine andBlacKkKlansman ’s John David Washington ) and interesting factoid about Forrest ’s experience , but only does so much with all that smashing natural endowment and bewitching subject affair . On the one mitt , that ’s unspoiled and allows the film to prosper as frothy , cheerful and otherwise pure cinematic entertainment , with just enough substance to be memorable . On the other hand , that also meansThe Old Man & the Gunavoids really examine the questions it raise about Forrest ’s making love for what he does and short - changes sure characters when it get along to their arc and/or roles in the story .
Still , the wayThe Old Man & the Gunis more concerned in have a fun clip than present some grand command about Forrest ’s life ( and thus , on a meta horizontal surface , Redford ’s legacy ) arguably arrive at it the thoroughgoing vehicle for its asterisk to go out on , if indeed he chooses to do so . Likewise , Lowery ’s film should make for a refreshing option to the more emotionally hard and otherwise downbeat awarding season contenders that it ’ll be test aboard in arthouse theaters over the coming weeks . In other words : whether you ’re a fan of Lowery ’s previous film and/or want to watch The Sundance Kid ( maybe ) taunt off into the sunset , you should go ahead and join Forrest as he give chase his next grownup thrill , doing what he does best .
TRAILER
The Old Man & the Gunis now playing in U.S. theaters nationwide . It is 93 minutes long and is rat PG-13 for brief strong language .
Sissy Spacek and Robert Redford in The Old Man & the Gun
Casey Affleck in The Old Man & the Gun
