(Robert
Redford)
Robert Redford’s final role before his
reported retirement as an actor is a wry, understated affair – not unlike the
actor himself. Review by Patrick Compton (7/10).
Robert Redford’s somewhat bloodless
handsomeness has been writ large on the silver screen for more than 50 years
since his debut in Situation Hopeless,
But Not Serious (1965). Now it has
all come to an end in this pleasant crime caper film in which the 82-year-old
legend plays Forrest Tucker, a “pistol-packing grandpa” who has a thing for
conducting civilised bank heists in which not a drop of blood is spilt.
This is a fact-based movie, scripted and
directed by David Lowery (A Ghost Story)
in which Redford plays Tucker as a man who gets his kicks from robbing banks
using charm rather than bullets, and, as we later learn, also enjoys escaping
from the many jails in which he’s been incarcerated.
Some of the movie best scenes take place
with Tucker and his two sidekicks (dubbed the “over the hill gang”), memorably
played by Danny Glover and Tom Waits, as they natter about this and that, with
none of them particularly interested in the money they steal.
There is a romantic interest of sorts for
Redford, a glowing sunset of a performance from a wholesome Sissy Spacek who
lives alone on her horse farm. But even her allure is not enough to capture
Tucker’s undivided attention for long before he is forced to scratch his
criminal itch.
The detective reluctantly trying to nail
them is played by Casey Affleck who characteristically mumbles his way through
his part as a cop who is tired of his job and would probably like to retire to
his sofa in the family home.
There’s also a poignant cameo from
Elizabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale)
who delivers a moving little speech about her non-existent relationship with
her dad (Tucker).
The story itself is a shaggy dog affair,
nicely directed and elegantly written with a nostalgic jazzy soundtrack.
Redford’s charm, thin as it has sometimes been, has always been his calling
card, with The Sting, Butch Cassidy and
the Sundance Kid and Out of Africa arguably his best efforts
to go with his arguably even more impressive achievements as a director (Ordinary People, A River Runs Through It
and Quiz Show).
The thing about Redford as an actor,
though, is that he has always withheld an important part of himself from the
audience, a restraint that somehow resists exploration. His performance as
Tucker, a gentleman criminal who conceals his deepest feelings, is fully in
line with this image.
(The
Old Man and the Gun opened at Gateway on Friday, January 11, 2019) –
Patrick Compton
Posts
