The Old Man and the Gun

The Old Man & the Gun (2018)
PG-13 | 1h 33min | Comedy , Crime , Drama

Synopsis: Based on the true story of Forrest Tucker and his audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 to an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public.

Award probability: -5%

This is another of those films in which an intriguing story never quite panned out as a movie. Robert Redford has tried so hard the last few seasons to give us something that critics and fans would gush over. Once again we are given a film that is ok at best. Forrest Tucker (Redford) is a fascinating character and his story so worth telling. But not the one told here. The prison break by a 70 year old would be more engaging than what we get here. Nothing happens in this film. It is 90 minutes of simply watching events unfold.

The acting is safe and clean. Sissy Spacek and Casey Affleck are stand outs more than Redford. The other two powerhouse actors, Danny Glover and Tom Waits, seem to struggle as the try and flesh out anything meaningful in their characters as Tuckers partners in crime. This is a shame too because I know that writer/director David Lowery is  more talented that what we see here. To go from the amazing A Ghost Story and Ain’t Them Bodies Saints to this?? I just don’t understand what happened.