The Old Man and the Gun (2018)

Robert Redford is given a poetic and charming farewell in The Old Man & the Gun. He plays a man that refused to change the way he lived life and finds it all the more important to him as he comes to the end of the line. Redford is as cool as ever in this delivering every line like a man you can never truly hate but you know you probably should.

Supported by the terrific Sissy Spacek and Casey Affleck the film is a level headed easy going take on what appears to be a very easy going man that had a unique way of living his life. Beautifully shot and scored the film embraces it's status as Redford's farewell and by the end you can't help but smile and accept his goodbye.

The films slow pace only serves to emphasise who Forrest was and what he wanted life to be. It also allows for some of the films best lines to be delivered with a poignant impact particularly as Redford and Spacek dwell on life on the porch of her house.

All in all this is a must see for any fans of Redford and for all fans of low-key but nonetheless entertaining films.

Fmovies: If you took all the scenes in this movie, tossed them in the air and reassembled them in whatever order they came to hand -- and you did this fifty times -- you'd have the same movie every time. It consists of a bunch of Robert Redford winks and nods juxtaposed with a recurring clip of a guy in a fedora walking into a bank. That's the way it starts, and that's the way it ends, the only variation being an occasional glimpse of two old folks having a cup of coffee in a diner. The movie advertises the great Tom Waits as a member of the cast, but gives Mr. Waits a bare three-minute dialogue (the movie's highlight), seeing no reason to let him sing a song or even to include a Tom Waits song in its score. Too bad, because this is a film that could have used a soulful, raspy voice in the background, there being so little of interest happening in the foreground.

Bank robber drama based on a true story.

A disappointing film about an aged compulsive bank robber, similar atmosphere to 'Catch me if You Can'. At my screening the audience was mainly aged, older than me at least.

The plot is an old gentleman who is addicted to robbing banks in a quiet, slow and polite manner. He's also escaped prison 17 times in the past, the breakouts are summarised towards the end.

My wife fell asleep half way for 30-40 minutes but picked up the plot again without any problems. Looks like a 'made for TV movie' - definitely would not watch again. Very disappointing unless you're an insomniac.

The Old Man and the Gun fmovies. Touted as Robert Redford's final film, its main interest point, 'The Old Man and the Gun' interested me even further with positive word of mouth from trusted friends and critics and being among the higher rated films of the year. Alongside ever charming Redford, having the likes of Danny Glover, Tom Waits, Casey Affleck and Sissy Spacek in the same film and that it was directed by David Lowery (best known to me for 'A Ghost Story' and 'Pete's Dragon', found myself liking both in their own way for different reasons, although the former is very polarising) also promises a lot.

While not without its issues, 'The Old Man and the Gun' has a huge amount to recommend and its best assets are pretty wonderful. It very nearly became one of my favourite films of the year, and although it doesn't quite reach that it still is one of 2018's better films from personal opinion and every bit as deserving of the praise it's garnered. That is saying a fair bit as it has been a hit and miss year. And if it really is Redford's last film, he definitely goes out on a high and the film does him justice. Can see that 'The Old Man and the Gun' has not worked for all and that is understandable, it is not hard to see why it hasn't connected with some and any criticisms regarding some of the storytelling and pace are in my opinion valid.

Did think that there are draggy stretches and parts where the storytelling borders on the repetitive side. The ending is rather anti-climactic.

Also felt that Casey Affleck's role was underwritten, it actually felt like it was intended to be a lead role but truncated, and Affleck is a little too laconic in it at times, though there are enough instances to show that it is actually still plays to his strengths as an actor.

However, 'The Old Man and the Gun' is very rewarding elsewhere. Redford piles on the likeability and charm with effortless ease, really terrific work in a performance that dominates in a good way the film, and some of his best in years. The pathos that Sissy Spacek brings to her role is truly moving and while Danny Glover and Tom Waits don't have large roles, somewhat unshowy, they do make strong impressions because their screen presences are pitched perfectly. The character wriitng helps make the characters mostly compelling and they feel like real people, that for Redford's character has remarkable depth and there is a constant sense that Lowery and everybody else had immense respect for Redford without being self-indulgent. Lowery similarly directs impeccably, doing wonders with a story that fits so well with his style. Much of 'The Old Man and the Gun' has a relaxed style but still has momentum to stop it from being aimless.

Visually, 'The Old Man and the Gun' is cleverly shot, with use of zooming and whip-pans, old-school style, that is stylish and affectionate rather than cheap. The scenery and production design are handsome and evocative without being too clean. The music is never too intrusive or too low-key, the jazzy nature nicely understated in parts in a very soothing sense while packing a punch in others. The script doesn't ramble or feel padded and has enough tautness and emotion. 'The Old Man and the Gun' boasts some thrilling action pieces enhanced by the photography, the robberies having the right amount of tension and brio, and the nods to past films, basically looking back on Redford's career and filmography, are affectionate rather

Watching Robert Redford breeze through The Old Man and the Gun, I am reminded that a minimalist drama like this can serve one purpose only if it wants: See an 82-year-old movie star gracefully perform again, with dignity. However, this film offers more in its smallness: seasoned actors like Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover, and Tom Waits provide momentary joy beyond Redford's sustaining charisma.

Despite the clichéd bank robbery motif, based on the real-life career of serial robber Forrest Tucker, his eighty robberies and 16 prison escapes reveal not a mean man but rather a charmer who robs because it makes him smile and who helps others when he doesn't have to.

Old Man hints at deeper emotional possibilities when it's discovered that his daughter, played by Elizabeth Moss, is unknown to him:

Jewel (Sissy Spacek): "Do you have any children?" Forrest Tucker: "I hope not." The film likes to keep these moments underwritten to suggest the depth as a richness he hasn't ignored but prefers to keep at bay. That spareness of emotion, dialogue, and sustained discourse adds to the mystery of a man who floats above daily intercourse to pursue a passion, albeit robbery.

Redford shuffles a bit like an old man, but he teases us with the wisdom he holds behind that killer smile and a youthful insouciance that makes him ageless.

You will not be revisiting the wisecracking of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or the sophistication of The Sting; you will get a fun heist film featuring a star who evidences the reason he has 78 entries in his filmography and originated a seminal cultural institution, The Sundance Institute. A bit like the underplaying but still prolific and passionate Forrest Tucker.

It's infectious: "I've been thinking about a bank robbery my whole life." Ryan Gosling

Too many scenes of Robert Redford walking into banks. Not enough of a story line based on character development. It would be sad if this was Redford final work.