The Old Man & the Gun Movie Review

The Old Man & the Gun (2018)

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Written by: David Lowery, David Grann (based on the New Yorker article by)
Directed by: David Lowery
Starring: Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover, Tom Waits, John David Washington
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
Based on the true story of Forrest Tucker and his audacious escape from San Quentin at the age of 70 after an unprecedented string of heists that confounded authorities and enchanted the public.

Verdict
This is an intriguing movie about a man compelled to rob banks, and Redford really carries this effortlessly. He charms the viewer and other characters as Forrest Tucker. From the start I liked the look of the movie. It's styled to look like a '70s movie. With a combination of the cast and the writing, the movie compels you to watch, and that's an enjoyable task.
Watch it.

Review
I want to describe this movie as a metaphor. It's charming like, or maybe because of, Redford. It's about a man that enjoys his occupation and just can't stop. Redford is in his eighties, still making movies. There are parallels, real or imagined.

The movie is an easy watch. It's breezy, and in this case that's a compliment. From the start I loved the visual style. It's got the film grain of a much older movie and even the text has a seventies style. The shots and the visuals are good.

Redford is a lot of fun in this. He's a bank robber but he enjoys the job. I don't know if it's the thrill and excitement or the danger, but it's not about the money.
He's very nonchalant in his approach. So often in these movies the perpetrators need money and are desperate. Forrest Tucker isn't. He's methodical and pleasant. This movie is about an old guy that just can't stop robbing banks. It's somebody you wish was, or reminds you of, your grandfather.

Tucker is approaching mythical or folk hero status, and not many, maybe nobody could pull this off as effortlessly as Redford. The employees he encounters describe him as a charming gentleman.

This is a guy that knows one thing. He's good at it and he truly enjoys it. He smiles as he does that work, and neither jail nor a woman can stop him from fulfilling his purpose. Of course there is a question of morality there. Stealing doesn't conform to ethics, but at least Forest isn't violent. Robbing banks is his calling. He can't stop doing it.

He meets a woman while eluding the cops and that does complicate things. There's a cop on his trail, but cops have never worried Forest before.

You wonder how he's robbed so many banks and escaped jail so many times. It almost feels like a farce. Somehow he managed, and I was happy to see him keep doing it.