'THE OLD MAN & THE GUN' which I saw at my local independent picture house earlier this week is an American crime comedy film which is reported to be Robert Redford's final film as an Actor before he hangs up his hat for good and retires on a career that has spanned six decades both in front and behind the camera. Written for the screen and Directed by David Lowery, this film is based on the life of Forrest Tucker who died in 2004 at the age of 83 and spent his entire life from the age of fifteen in and out of prison as a career criminal. The script is based on David Grann's 2003 article in The New Yorker titled 'The Old Man and the Gun', which was later collected in Grann's 2010 book 'The Devil and Sherlock Holmes'. Having had its World Premier screening at the Telluride Film Festival in late August this year, the film went on general release in the US in late September and has so far grossed US$11M and has received generally positive Press.
We are first introduced to Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford) who is fleeing the scene of a crime in broad daylight in his big American sedan car of the early '70's, pursued by Police cars giving chase with lights flashing and sirens blaring. It is late 1981, and as Tucker successfully evades the Police he enters the freeway, and before long pulls his car to a halt on the side of the road to assist a woman stranded with the bonnet up. Just as he has his head under the bonnet rendering really no assistance at all, the Police cars stream by, and keep on going. Before you know it, that woman is sat beside Tucker in his car as he has offered her a ride to get to where she needs to go, while her pick-up truck gets towed for repairs. That woman is Jewel (Sissy Spacek), and straight away you can see the chemistry working between the pair.
At first Jewel is just a little wary of Tucker, but she soon swarms to his charms as they sit and chat over coffee and pie in a diner, for which she picks up the tab as a thank-you for him coming to her rescue. She goes on to tell him that her husband died a few years back, and now she lives alone on a ranch and maintains three horses. In return he tells her what he does for a living, originally stating that he was in sales, but then in a round about way and tongue in cheek tells her that he robs banks and is actually pretty good at it. Needless to say she doesn't believe him, and he also doesn't reveal his real name.
We then move to a string of bank robberies that takes us from Texas, to Oklahoma and Missouri. Tucker is the prefect gentleman thief always walking into his target bank impeccably dressed in suit and tie, in broad daylight, usually when it is busy, usually wearing a fake moustache and a hat, and asks for the manager on the pretext of wanting to take out a business loan. It is at this point that Tucker reveals from under his overcoat that he is carrying a gun, although we never see him pull it, use it in anger, or even if it is loaded. But, all of his gentlemanly charm, thoughtfully chosen words and empathy wins over the manager or the teller who time after time are obliging with filling up Tuckers brief case with cash. His victims when being subsequently questioned by the Police all say that he was so charming, so friendly, so courteous, polite and kind.
After a while, this string of gentleman robberies comes to the attention of Police Officer John Hunt (Casey Affleck), a loving family man and husband to Maureen (Tika Sumpter), who is standing in the very bank waiting to be served while Tucker is robbing it, and didn't notice a thing until the alarm was raised after Tucker had fled the scene of the crime. Hunt becomes obsessed with Tuckers crime spree and is determined to bring his newly dubbed 'Over the Hill Gang' to justice, but has very little to go on except for some grainy CCTV footage (remembering that this is 1981 tech. being relied upon), and some artist impressions pulled from newspaper articles. Hunt goes on the TV news after one such robbery stating that he is on the case and is determined to bring the Gang to justice. Tucker sees the news feed as it is broadcast, and at the scene of his next robbery involving a more daring heist on a larger bank in St. Louis leaves a message for Hunt hand written on a dollar bill.
Aiding and abetting Tucker are too long term and ageing collaborators Teddy (Danny Glover) and Waller (Tom Waits). Teddy is the getaway car driver and Waller keeps look out, and they share their spoils equally between them. In between the audacious albeit very politely and efficiently conducted heists, the story continues to develop with the emotional unfolding of Tucker and Jewel's relationship, and Hunt's pursuit of the criminals.
One early evening while Tucker and Jewel are back at the diner finishing up with an order of pie, in walks Hunt and his wife Maureen for a bite to eat. Tucker instantly recognises Hunt from his television broadcast, and instead of getting outta there, sidles up to the off-duty Police Officer in the washroom and strikes up a conversation about being correctly attired while straightening Hunt's tie. Recognising Tucker from the artist impressions, upon leaving Hunt calls out 'Forrest', to which the old man turns and smiles before exiting.
Needless to say its not long before the long arm of the law catches up with Tucker, but not before the ageing gentleman thief has given the Police a run for their money. Culminating with Tucker completing one of his Bucket List wishes - to ride a horse, he ends up at Jewels ranch early one morning, and sat astride his trusted steed sees a Police convoy descend upon her property. He is promptly arrested for his spate of robberies, as is Teddy, but Waller is still at large.We fast forward a few months and Jewel visits Tucker in prison. It is here that Tucker reveals his true life history and his previous sixteen successful attempts at breaking out of the institutions in which he has been incarcerated over his life so far from a young teenager up to his most recent breakout from St. Quentin. He has dutifully written them all down in terms of date approximations and the institutions, which are all recreated in a short clips montage, up until escape #17 which remains blank. Jewel says that he is not going to break out of the prison in which he now sits, but will serve his time. And that he does, and upon his release a few years later she is waiting for him.
'The Old Man & The Gun' is a slow meandering leisurely paced entertaining film that feels as though it was shot in the era in which it is set, in the early '80's. It is a fitting end to a long and illustrious career of the 82 year old Robert Redford whose career began in television in 1960, and who has had a distinguished career both in front of, and behind, the camera ever since. His career really took off with his portrayal of the thief and outlaw 'The Sundance Kid' in 1969's 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' opposite Paul Newman, and how appropriate that is should close with his portrayal of thief and outlaw Forrest Tucker almost fifty years later. There is a lot to like about this warm hearted tale of obsession for ones chosen career path (even if it does involve robbing banks) and breaking out of prison on multiple occasions, finding love in the twilight of your years, and even in the way that the Detective on the case grows to find an admiration and an appreciation for his quarry. With a strong supporting casts that also takes in Elisabeth Moss, John David Washington and Keith Carradine, this is an engaging easy watch film that shows us that Redford still has that winning smile and a twinkle in his eye that has made him an icon of the industry, and in which his star still shines brightly.'The Old Man & The Gun' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, out of a possible five.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
