THE OLD MAN & THE GUN: A FOND FAREWELL

How times have changed. Growing up in the 70s young people had an appreciation for the things that came before us, especially in movies. There wasn’t anyone who didn’t know who Jimmy Cagney was in spite of the fact he stopped making movies. Humphrey Bogarts may have died in 1957 but we knew him and his movies. Ask a young person today about a star from even the near past and they have no clue. I know, I asked someone if they’d heard of Robert Redford and they didn’t know the name or the face. So perhaps he’s chosen the right time to retire. I know he’s picked the perfect swan song with THE OLD MAN & THE GUN.

Redford plays Forrest Tucker, an elderly bank robber who is in the midst of a string of robberies as the film opens. Having escaped from San Quentin at age 70 he’s working with two partners, Teddy (Danny Glover) and Waller (Tom Waits). The method they use is surprisingly effective, especially in how they pull the jobs off. Tucker walks in like an ordinary customer, informs the teller what he wants and acts pleasant the entire time he’s robbing the bank. A gentleman bandit.

On his way from the first robbery we witness he sees a woman stranded beside the road, her truck broken down. He stops to help her, in part to avoid the screaming police vehicles looking for him and also to honestly lend a hand. The woman is named Jewel (Sissy Spacek) and the two talk as he drives her home. They stop for a bite to eat and converse hitting it off, well enough that he asks if he can call on her some time. To her he’s a salesman on the road. To him she’s security he’s never known.

As the story progresses there is one person doggedly in pursuit of Tucker. John Hunt (Casey Affleck) is a detective assigned to one of his robberies. Determined to catch the robbers it is Hunt who find the evidence to connect the robbery in his town to the string of robberies the group is doing. On TV he provides a name to the group, the over the hill gang. At their next robbery Tucker leaves behind a $100 bill, written on it Hunt’s name in care of the over the hill gang.

Through it all Tucker never presents a threatening character at the robberies he commits. He always assures the bank tellers that he is armed but then consoles them, trying to talk them down and calm them with his gentlemanly ways. In so doing they calmly follow his instructions and he never has to resort to violence.

But the movie isn’t just a cops and robbers bank robbery story. It’s the tale of a man who has a compulsion to rob banks and to escape prison. No wait, it’s a pursuit story about a career police detective determined to get the collar even if the FBI wants to do so. Hang on a second, now it’s a love story about an aging con and a retired widow who’s a horse rancher. That’s the best thing about this movie. It doesn’t narrowly fit into one category, it’s all of these movies rolled into one, a compilation of stories about one person that paint a complex picture. It works perfectly.

Not only that but we are presented with a movie about bank robbers that isn’t like any other. There are no 20 car chases on hand here and those that take place last no longer than a minute or two tops. There is not random act of violence, no gore filled scenes of anyone being shot. It’s a well-paced film that shows what happens without resorting to the standard things we’ve seen before.

Redford, now 82, announced that this was to be his last film. He hasn’t had a hit since 1998’s THE HORSE WHISPERER so I’m glad he’s going out on a high note here. This is perhaps one of the best performances he’s given in years. The sign of a gifted actor is to make you believe he isn’t acting and Redford has that ability. His style is easy going and the words come from his mouth as if he’s speaking them himself rather than reading dialogue provided for him. That younger people aren’t aware of him is sad because he displays a great ability here many could learn from.

The rest of the supporting cast does and amazing job as well. Spacek in particular plays her role like Redford does, appearing not to be acting at all. She’s been underused in the past and that’s sad too. Glover and Waits are nice in supporting roles but they truly are supporting and not seen often. Affleck does a great job as Hunt here, presenting a family man and an officer who wants to accomplish what he set out to do.

The movie didn’t fare well at the box office but with the release on disc my hope is that more people will give this one a watch. I found it to be one of the better movies I’ve watched from the past years and a fitting tribute to a great actor.

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