Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek, Casey Affleck, Danny Glover, Tom Waits, Tika Sumpter, Gene Jones, John David Washington, Barlow Jacobs, Augustine Frizzell, Jennifer Joplin, Lisa DeRoberts, Carter Bratton, Mike Dennis, Tomas Deckaj, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Patrick Newall, Daniel Britt, Leah Roberts, Elisabeth Moss, Alphaeus Green Jr., Kevin McClatchy, Keith Carradine, Todd Covert, Kenneisha Thompson, Robert Longstreet.
To go out on a high is perhaps the ultimate aim of all artists and fellow travellers, to leave the stage of life one last time with a smile on your face that won’t be washed away in the green room, and one that you know will be replicated on the faces of all who see your final bow; to go out at a time of your own choosing and understand that there is still so much more you could do is the highest praise for a life truly lived.
In an age where the generalisation amongst some is that old men contribute nothing to the state of the addressing the problems of the world, it seems only fitting that Robert Redford suggests, indeed insists, otherwise, and in his final film before retirement, the great actor shows exactly why he will be missed, and the reason why some actors can captivate an audience with a single look to camera, a look that cannot be learned as a skill, it is in innate, natural, essential, it is a stare, a flickering wind which leaves broken hearts and memories abound.
The Old Man & The Gun maybe Robert Redford’s swansong, but it is a joyous occasion in which sees a giant of cinema stride, not into the sunset as retirement suggests, but into the valley of greats, there to look back, to urge others to continue with their craft, to bring out the very best in actors such as Casey Affleck and to be a beacon of living passion to the stories to come. Retirement doesn’t mean to fade away, it means to take stock, to seek new boundaries, take it easier perhaps but to never give in doing what you love.
It is perhaps a marvellous metaphor, the smile radiating at all times from Mr. Redford and joined with unmistakeable distinction by Sissy Spacek, it is almost as if the pair are enjoying a secret in which no person, but Casey Affleck and Danny Glover, are truly aware of yet. It is telegraphed to the audience and they cannot but fail to be amused by its content, it’s almost satirising of the acting career, announce that you are leaving what you love the most and eyebrows raise, they expect you to be back sooner or later, defying the law, challenging authority in some capacity or other.
A final film perhaps for Robert Redford, but one that is captivating from start to finish, endearing, positive and truly one that makes you smile.
Ian D. Hall