FilmSnobReviews

Title: The Old Man & the Gun
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: David Lowery
Starring: Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek, Casey Affleck
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

What It Is: Forrest Tucker (Redford) is 70 years old. He’s also a bank robber and career criminal. He’s not going to let a little thing like age stop him from doing the one thing he loves more than anything…stealing money from banks. When Det. John Hunt (Affleck) takes on the case of finding he and his septuagenarian crew of bank robbers it isn’t going to be as easy as he thinks. All the while Forrest meets the widow Jewel (Spacek) and the two seem to find a spark.

What We Think: Robert Redford is simply mesmerizing here. His performance shows that even in his seventies this guy can pull off whatever role he asked for. I liked Affleck here. He’s not given much to do but what he is he pulls off with the relative ease we’ve grown accustomed to from him. The story is straightforward unliked Lowery’s previous effort A Ghost Story which had far more nuanced beats in it. No this is Lowery making a film that’s far more accessible than his previous efforts (excluding Pete’s Dragon).

Our Grade: B+, A very good film, but not quite a great one. This was a huge surprise but I don’t really understand why I didn’t have higher expectations given the stellar cast and crew around. Overall I 100% recommend that everyone check this film out as soon as possible. Its a great watch and doesn’t require much in the way of thought to enjoy…and often times that’s a good thing. Simple storytelling told through good acting and a fun enough script. Plus the Jackson C Frank track towards the end is killer use of non-diegetic sound. Make sure you see this one!