Catch Me If You Can, octogenarian-style, 2018’s The Old Man & The Gun, written and directed by David Lowery (A Ghost Story), is a fitting final tribute to the great Robert Redford (who will be retiring from acting after this role), a film that, despite its dramatic crime roots, has a certain sweetness, an old-fashioned, often poignant based-on-true-events tale about finding your inner child as well as your lifelong passion, and then living it.
For those of you who have seen A Ghost Story, there is something immediately recognizable about The Old Man & The Gun – though they are completely different. Edited in a similar manner, Lowery’s mesmeric rhythm, unique pacing and efficiently simple style (with some nice cinematography from Joe Anderson) allows the charming characters to tell the story.
Following a gang of bank robbers in the early 1980s, they are led by Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford), a man who is high on life – a sharp suit wearing, always smiling, smooth criminal of an aging thief (always carrying a gun he never uses), who, despite his disturbing career path, could at worst be described as a mischievous young boy (a credo he lives by). Joined by a not so heavy-heavy, Waller (Tom Waits), and their getaway driver, Teddy Green (Danny Glover), the aging group have been coined the Over The Hill Gang. Taking the name and running with it, it is clear that they are from a different time – style, substance, manners, and a caring attitude evident at every turn – things that do not usually come to mind when you think of thieves.
Robbing a bank right under the nose of an apathetic police detective, John Hunt (Casey Affleck), he is too disenchanted with his life to notice a thing. In some sort of mid life crisis, every step he takes brings him further into a depressive mire – disillusioned with his job, it has seeped into his family life. . . despite the fact he has a lovely wife, Maureen (Tika Sumpter), and two kids at home.
It is this event that awakens something in him, a new zest for life, in essence, it coming from a much older man who loves every second of his. Taking the case and running with it, the thrill of the chase rejuvenates him, while Tucker, now aware someone has caught the scent, toys with his pursuer – a memorable scene finds the pair in the same diner, Tucker joining the detective in the bathroom for a cheeky chat.
On one of his many heists, Tucker utilizes a stranded highway driver, Jewel (Sissy Spacek), as a way of evading the police, the glint in her eye catching the twinkle in his, an almost juvenile love at first sight. Balancing his time between robbing and courting, it is not the easiest of tasks – though the man has escaped from sixteen prisons. . . so perhaps he will be up to the challenge. Will Tucker get away with his checkered past? Can he pull himself away from the job, retiring with Jewel on her horse farm? Will detective Hunt be able to track down his Moby Dick? Are banks this easy to rob?
Magically weaving in Redford’s illustrious career, photos of him young and old, Lowery also finds places to pay tribute to specific films. The motion picture opens with a suggestion that most of this is true (the wording almost identical to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s introduction), while Redford runs a finger along his nose at Affleck (a memorable move from The Sting). . . perhaps the nicest touch finds Lowery using footage from Arthur Penn’s 1966 movie The Chase – a sequence in which a much younger Redford escapes from prison (an example of one of his sixteen getaways).
A masterful ensemble cast, the entire piece is led by Redford. . . forever the gentleman charmer with a streak of impish bad boy – it somehow never sways the scales away from him being a good guy at heart. . . those lambent eyes alive, the comedic timing always there, the suave bravado just as evident all these years later (pure confidence in his space before the camera). Spacek is a perfect match, the pair having a touching naiveté to their relationship. . . though love has never worked for them before, they look at each other the way Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard do in Modern Times – like nothing else in the world could ever matter. . . a chance to live in the moment and let your troubles just ebb away. Waits, as always, is a standout – a true character. His telling of a Christmas kerfuffle with his new stepfather, or exclamation that he never finished medical school as he removes a bullet from Danny Glover’s love handles, is priceless. The one flaw finds Keith Carradine’s role of Lieutenant Kelley having been edited almost entirely out of the picture – it will be interesting to see his screen time when the deleted scenes are released.
As light as air, The Old Man & The Gun soars on its casts’ shoulders – a simple yet effective journey through one man’s fast moving life. It balances its touching fond farewell with a childlike love for life, for even when Hunt becomes infatuated with finding the career criminal, it is his young daughter who readjusts his blinders, the man better for it. Though everyone will undoubtedly agree that robbing banks is bad, there is something special about Tucker having found his paradise in life, his passion bringing a smile to our faces, much like the new teller he has robbed in the movie (a boyish grin and kind word quickly settles her nerves), his glowing demeanor reminding us to enjoy each day and what we love. So, bank on this veteran actor once again, for he is back in the game (though likely for the last time).