Originally Posted by
dookey67
THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN
4/5
At its core this is a film about obsession and adiction. Yet this theme is not in any way heavy-handed, instead focusing more on a person’s need to “live”, as in to be excited and exhilarated all the time, to have a constant adrenaline rush. The interesting juxtaposition comes in how the film unrolls with a casual, rather languid manner; the exact opposite of an adrenalin rush. And this is where the film succeeds. Its natural pacing and the easy-going demeanor of all the actors involved make it immediately likeable.
Redford, in the titular role, is sublime and his budding romance with Spacek showcases two Old School pros having a blast with well-written material. The supporting cast is equally solid. Danny Glover, in his usual curmudgeonly cautious self proves that he was expertly typecast here. And then there’s Casey Affleck, who gives a wonderfully understated performance as an ennui-infused police detective. The scene stealer, however, is Tom Waits, who probably only garners 10-minutes of total screen time, but mesmerizes the audience every time he pops up. In short, this is a cast that is clearly having fun with the material, but not at the expense of the material, which is rare these days.
On the surface, however, the film is a simple western: There’s an outlaw (Redford), his gang (Glover and Waits), a lawman (Affleck), and a lover (Spacek). The outlaws rob banks and outsmart the law who give chase, in the meantime the lead outlaw falls in love. This is where the all-encompassing droll humor of the screenplay comes into play. Rippling nicely throughout, the dialogue and story keep things light on the surface, but also allows for subtle, deeper layers to quietly resonate. The end result is so much more than just another revisionist western.
The other “star” of the film is the loose and lively score, crafted by North Carolina musician Daniel Hart, who seems to be channelling Lalo Schifrin by way of Dave Brubeck. It's jazzy, bouncy, and instills the film with not only a sense of fun, but provides intensity when needed and softer, more introspective tones, too.
Perhaps the most intersting aspect of The Old Man and the Gun is the look of the film. Shot in 16mm it is rendered in warm and washed-out tones immediately bringing to mind the films from 1970s era Hollywood (as if to accentuate this, director/screenwriter Lowery includes a prominant clip from Monte Hellman’s existential classic Two-Lane Blacktop). The catch is that the story here is from the 1980s, thus the “antiquated” look of the film creates a semi-dream-like, almost surreal atmosphere, as if we are watching a modern day fairy tale.
RIYL
The Electric Horseman; Going In Style (the 1973 George Burns/Art Carney/Lee Strasberg film); Harry and Tonto; the films of Jim Jarmusch
