Post by Doomsday on Oct 13, 2018 23:50:10 GMT -5
The Old Man and The Gun
One thing I would really like to see is a bank robbery/heist/general crime movie where the police officer character is just as interesting as the criminal. Or maybe not even as interesting, just somewhat interesting. I don't know why it's so a tall order but more often than not when you're watching a movie about a criminal, and movies like that require someone hot on their trail, the movie just comes to a stop whenever we cut to whoever is trying to stop our gangster. For every movie that gets it right by actually having a law enforcement type who's as engaging as the thief (Heat for example) you have several that do exactly what I'm complaining about, movies like The Town, Wolf of Wall Street and The Old Man and The Gun. Maybe it's just me but it drives me nuts when there's half of a good, fun movie and another half that's dedicated to 'stopping the bad guy' that just flatlines. It's mostly due to the characters themselves being cookie cutter and bland rather than being bored by what they're actually doing but one of the reasons Heat is so great is because each character is fantastic to watch on screen. If more movies would take a page out of that playbook it would serve the genre very well.
But aside from that gripe, The Old Man and The Gun is a simple, easily digestible movie about a man who's nearing the final years of his life but not necessarily the end of his career. Robert Redford stars in what is rumored to be his final film role as Forrest Tucker, a career criminal whose MO includes robbing banks and breaking out of any prison where he finds himself. Along with two old-timer friends (Tom Waits, Danny Glover) they compromise the 'Over The Hill Gang' and go on a string of robberies across the mid-west. Tucker meets Jewel (Sissy Spacek) and the two form a quick bond. She finally learns of his true history and Tucker has to choose between his future and the dangerous life he has always known.
The Old Man and The Gun is one of those movies that's pretty surface level and you know exactly what it is going into it. It's a simple but effective and enjoyable movie with good performances from all involved. Maybe the most engaging thing about the movie is how it touches on, albeit briefly, the idea of aging and which direction you should go in life especially as the years in front of you grow noticeably shorter. Jewel is a woman content with what she has while Tucker finds it impossible to walk away from what he's always known. It's what helps their chemistry click and makes their dialogue interesting. Perhaps it would have felt oversaturated and forced if they had worked it in any more than they did but it's what helps The Old Man and The Gun feel like a real, relatable movie even for people who aren't senior citizens. It's a good if not terribly earth-shattering movie but considering how it could very well be Robert Redford's swan song there are more than a few reasons to place it onto your list of things to do.
B+ so says Doomsday
Oh wait, like The Old Man and The Sea. I get it now.
One thing I would really like to see is a bank robbery/heist/general crime movie where the police officer character is just as interesting as the criminal. Or maybe not even as interesting, just somewhat interesting. I don't know why it's so a tall order but more often than not when you're watching a movie about a criminal, and movies like that require someone hot on their trail, the movie just comes to a stop whenever we cut to whoever is trying to stop our gangster. For every movie that gets it right by actually having a law enforcement type who's as engaging as the thief (Heat for example) you have several that do exactly what I'm complaining about, movies like The Town, Wolf of Wall Street and The Old Man and The Gun. Maybe it's just me but it drives me nuts when there's half of a good, fun movie and another half that's dedicated to 'stopping the bad guy' that just flatlines. It's mostly due to the characters themselves being cookie cutter and bland rather than being bored by what they're actually doing but one of the reasons Heat is so great is because each character is fantastic to watch on screen. If more movies would take a page out of that playbook it would serve the genre very well.
But aside from that gripe, The Old Man and The Gun is a simple, easily digestible movie about a man who's nearing the final years of his life but not necessarily the end of his career. Robert Redford stars in what is rumored to be his final film role as Forrest Tucker, a career criminal whose MO includes robbing banks and breaking out of any prison where he finds himself. Along with two old-timer friends (Tom Waits, Danny Glover) they compromise the 'Over The Hill Gang' and go on a string of robberies across the mid-west. Tucker meets Jewel (Sissy Spacek) and the two form a quick bond. She finally learns of his true history and Tucker has to choose between his future and the dangerous life he has always known.
The Old Man and The Gun is one of those movies that's pretty surface level and you know exactly what it is going into it. It's a simple but effective and enjoyable movie with good performances from all involved. Maybe the most engaging thing about the movie is how it touches on, albeit briefly, the idea of aging and which direction you should go in life especially as the years in front of you grow noticeably shorter. Jewel is a woman content with what she has while Tucker finds it impossible to walk away from what he's always known. It's what helps their chemistry click and makes their dialogue interesting. Perhaps it would have felt oversaturated and forced if they had worked it in any more than they did but it's what helps The Old Man and The Gun feel like a real, relatable movie even for people who aren't senior citizens. It's a good if not terribly earth-shattering movie but considering how it could very well be Robert Redford's swan song there are more than a few reasons to place it onto your list of things to do.
B+ so says Doomsday
Oh wait, like The Old Man and The Sea. I get it now.
