Most senior citizens find excitement in winning Bingo at their local community rec center, but not Forrest Tucker.
No, this 70-year-old finds joy and satisfaction in robbing banks. In the highly anticipated film from director David Lowery, The Old Man & The Gun is a high energy, high stakes crime comedy that feels like The Place Beyond the Pines set a few decades in the past and with Ryan Gosling aged about 50 years. But what is most fascinating about Forrest Tucker and The Old Man & The Gun is that this unbelievably fascinating story is (mostly) true.
In his final acting role, the charming Robert Redford plays Forrest Tucker, an American career criminal who spent his whole life getting thrown into and breaking out of prison, 18 times to be exact. When we meet him, he had already escaped from California’s San Quentin State Prison via a handmade kayak (with the slogan ‘Rub a Dub Dub’ etched into the side) and was knee deep in completing a sling of successful bank robberies. At 70-years-old, he, along with his two aging accomplices Waller (Tom Waits) and Teddy (Danny Glover), is the perfect criminal. Not only because he looks totally incapable of making off with thousands of dollars at gunpoint, and therefore has been overlooked by police for years, but because he is just so gosh darn nice to his victims. He is a criminal with a heart of gold.
His niceness also wins over the heart of Jewel (Sissy Spacek), a woman he meets while dodging the boys in blue. Forrest proves that he can be both a gentleman and a robber, and this paradox makes for such an enjoyable character arc as he is faced with the highs and lows of his unconventional profession. One person who isn’t so amused with his antics is Officer John Hunt (Casey Affleck), a 40-year-old family man who finds himself two steps behind the senior citizen criminals, who he’s dubbed the “Over the Hill” gang. Despite Forrest being the “bad guy” (technically speaking), I found myself rooting for his success and honestly, in a twisted way, it seems as if John Hunt wants Forrest to succeed as well.
Forrest proves that he can be both a gentleman and a robber, and this paradox makes for such an enjoyable character arc as he is faced with the highs and lows of his unconventional profession.
Director David Lowery is a master at incorporating poignant musical artists in his films. In 2017’s A Ghost Story, he used the L.A.-based indie band Dark Rooms to bring the moodiness and mystic with their song I Get Overwhelmed (which has since become of one my favorite emo anthems). The Pete’s Dragon soundtrack includes an eclectic group of artists, incorporating the specific sounds of Leonard Cohen, St. Vincent, and The Lumineers. In The Old Man & The Gun, Lowery continues this fantastic merging of mediums by using an unexpectedly fitting uptempo jazz score throughout the film. What really knocks it out of the park is the use of Jackson C. Frank’s Blues Run the Game, in its original recording, during a final chase montage. The crackling of the vinyl and the smoothness of Frank’s voice is the perfect compliment to Tucker’s aesthetic and one of the film’s more memorable moments.
Lowery has created a brilliantly entertaining and rich film with The Old Man & The Gun. From start to finish, Robert Redford captivates with his charming personality and confidence. It is also refreshing to see a love story unfold between Forrest and Jewel. That initial spark that ignites when you realize you’ve met “the one” is usually only seen between younger characters, but Lowery gives the older generation another chance to experience this delicate part of life, proving you’re never too old for love… and money.
‘The Old Man & The Gun’ is rated PG-13 for brief strong language. 93 minutes. Opening this Friday at ArcLight Hollywood and the Landmark.
