The Old Man & the Gun (2018)
Did you ever see the Jim Sturgess movie Electric Slide about the “gentleman” bank robber? He was so polite and charming, the bank tellers were almost glad to give him the money. It’s not exactly the same thing, but The Old Man & the Gun has that element in common. Robert Redford stars as a professional criminal who’s so nice and charming, he doesn’t even have to pull a gun on the bank tellers. It’s based on a true story of a fellow who was constantly breaking out of prison, robbing a bank, getting caught, and breaking out again. The way the movie portrays him, it’s clear he has massive psychological problems to continue this pattern through the decades when any normal guy would be glad to eventually settle down.
I was very reluctant to rent this movie. It was the principle of the thing. I couldn’t stand to see a movie that labeled Robert Redford as “the old man”. When I finally did rent it, I was surprised by writer-director David Lowry’s lighting and camera angles that seemed determined to show every single wrinkle the leading actor had acquired through the years. It was unnecessary and rude, and I can guarantee none of the people in the audience wanted to see him looking like an “old man”. Of course, he still looked good to me, but my mom was pretty depressed. I tried to cheer her up (in vain) by reminding her that he was young enough to have been given a love interest in the film.
He meets Sissy Spacek in a diner and charms a smile and blush out of her. They’re very cute, but since he has no intention of settling down, it’s not very fun to see him battling his addiction to danger as policeman Casey Affleck closes in on him. I don’t know why Casey Affleck was cast, since he’s a chronic mumbler and most of the people who wanted to see the movie would probably be of the age when mumbling isn’t appreciated. I wasn’t even thirty when I saw this movie, and even I had a hard time making out one coherent sentence in ten minutes of dialogue.
Robert Redford fans (because why else would you want to see this movie?), I’d advise you to stick with Our Souls at Night. It’s more romantic, he’s given a more endearing character, and the director treats him with more dignity.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. There are several scenes filmed with a shaky, handheld camera, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
More Danny Glover movies here!
More Robert Redford movies here!
I was very reluctant to rent this movie. It was the principle of the thing. I couldn’t stand to see a movie that labeled Robert Redford as “the old man”. When I finally did rent it, I was surprised by writer-director David Lowry’s lighting and camera angles that seemed determined to show every single wrinkle the leading actor had acquired through the years. It was unnecessary and rude, and I can guarantee none of the people in the audience wanted to see him looking like an “old man”. Of course, he still looked good to me, but my mom was pretty depressed. I tried to cheer her up (in vain) by reminding her that he was young enough to have been given a love interest in the film.
He meets Sissy Spacek in a diner and charms a smile and blush out of her. They’re very cute, but since he has no intention of settling down, it’s not very fun to see him battling his addiction to danger as policeman Casey Affleck closes in on him. I don’t know why Casey Affleck was cast, since he’s a chronic mumbler and most of the people who wanted to see the movie would probably be of the age when mumbling isn’t appreciated. I wasn’t even thirty when I saw this movie, and even I had a hard time making out one coherent sentence in ten minutes of dialogue.
Robert Redford fans (because why else would you want to see this movie?), I’d advise you to stick with Our Souls at Night. It’s more romantic, he’s given a more endearing character, and the director treats him with more dignity.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. There are several scenes filmed with a shaky, handheld camera, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
More Danny Glover movies here!
More Robert Redford movies here!