Many of us grew up watching Robert Redford. This veteran actor has went through a considerable amount of change in the film and television industry making him quite the time capsule. A productive one at that, going through a plethora of theatre, television and film over the span of 50 years. So when it was announced that this will be his final film, you could imagine that there would be a considerable amount of hype. But in the end, The Old Man and the Gun is a very humble swan song to the legendary actor that is probably not going to win any Academy Awards or have any profound messages to the world for positive change.
Directed by David Lowery, The Old Man and the Gun is the true story of a 70-year old serial criminal (Robert Redford) that has the reputation of being ‘quite the gentleman’. What this means is that when he robs a bank, he doesn’t do it with terror, intimidation or theatrics. He does it with courtesy, respect and subtlety. Yet as the film goes on, you begin to understand this man’s past, and how it wasn’t always this way, especially towards the ones he loves.
The Old Man and the Gun is a very… nice film. The film’s quite the opposite of anything pretentious - it has a goofy font for it’s title and a carefree attitude in the editing and cinematography that makes you almost wonder if this film had any planning to it.
Yet there definitely is a lot of planning to it when you start to think about it. There is incredible coherency in the pace of this storytelling. Every character being introduced to you from Redford’s aged accomplices to the detective being charged to bring this man down (Casey Affleck), is told with gentle harmony. It seems in this film, nobody is the bad guy. Not even the bad guys. When you consider that this story has guns, robberies, themes of loneliness and isolation, it really is amazing how nice this film is.
If you really like Robert Redford, this may just be the perfect film for you. Without going into spoiler territory, there are some fitting tribute moments towards the ending of this film. The music blends well with the asthetics and the romantic side plot between Redford and his love interest Jewel (Sissy Spacek), is charming to say the least. It almost makes you look forward to growing old.
There is however a hollowness to this film if you are looking for a certain type of entertainment that elevates to something of significance that leaves an impact on you after you walk out of the cinema. This is a story that just wants to entertain and celebrate Robert Redford. It’s a big tribute film to the veteran actor that compensates for its somewhat formulaic storytelling for the nostalgia hits that gets those that have grown up with him.
Overall, The Old Man and the Gun is a nice film to be had at the cinema. The story has charm and wit but is quite lacking in the drama department due to the film being so obsessed with its humble and nice tonality. It should be enjoyable by most people. Just not amazing for the majority.
