Two Cents is a Cinapse original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team curates the series and contribute their “two cents” using a maximum of 200-400 words. Guest contributors and comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future picks. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion. Would you like to be a guest contributor or programmer for an upcoming Two Cents entry? Simply watch along with us and/or send your pitches or 200-400 word reviews to cinapse.twocents@gmail.com.
The Pick: The Old Man & the Gun (2018)
For the rest of the year, we’re focusing on the great career of the late, great Robert Redford. In this year of great contention and struggle, celebrating some of the great American actors and filmmakers has been a solace for many of us here at Cinapse. With the recent passing of a true legend in Redford, it felt like it was only appropriate to do a deep dive into some of his great films. In fact, he was the heartbeat of so many great American films, calling a two month retrospective a “deep dive” is a false moniker. It barely scratches the surface of his almost mythological career. As we explore some films we love and films we are newly experiencing, we invite you to join us for our Redford Retrospective.
There’s no way we could do a tribute to Robert Redford and not discuss what was very clearly his last great film role. In 2018’s The Old Man & the Gun, writer/director David Lowery adapts this true story about an aging career criminal named Forrest (Redford) who has spent decades robbing banks and breaking out of prisons for the sheer thrill and pleasure of it. However, with the law on his tail, headed by a determined detective (Casey Affleck), and an encounter with a lovely Texas widow (Sissy Spacek), Forrest starts to believe his days as a longtime sweet-mannered criminal might soon be over.
The Guest
Sissy Spacek has co-starred opposite some great actors of her different eras, but not too many of them, I’d argue, are on the level of recognisability of movie stars like Robert Redford, so seeing both in these later eras of their careers and doing impressive work together is an utter delight. Redford, in his final leading screen role as a charming elder statesman bank robber, and Spacek, his on-again, off-again romantic partner leads to some nice moments of play.
Sissy Spacek plays Jewel, a widow who begins a relationship with Forrest (Robert Redford) in this great crime comedy. Spacek is an utter delight when acting opposite Redford, portraying a great partnership based on star charisma coming from both actors and a sense of secure sensuality that I can imagine their relationship continuing post the events of this film because of how well they interact together. From their first scene on the side of a highway, looking under Spacek’s car bonnet through a simple exchange of words, it doesn’t get any better than two long-established stars just vibing off of one another, which this film succeeds at most when giving space for these great actors to do so.
As the two continue their romantic bond in their subplot, I simply enjoy each new moment they share and find their playful choices utterly charming. I do love the scenes of conversation in this film between Forrest (Redford) and many of his co-stars, believing that this film feels like a different era for cinema that I miss greatly. I treasure each delightfully acted moment by Spacek, especially when she is recounting her past to him on her farm porch or helping him better himself by serving his time in prison rightfully. The stakes, while not too high in this light drama, are so watchable because of actors as stellar as Sissy and Redford.
This remains the last substantial role of Spacek’s film career, and even after nearly half a century in the industry, Spacek proves herself such a movie star that, without having to do much other than turnup the charm, she can be as impactful a presence on screen as a movie star on the level of Robert Redford is here.
The Team
The Old Man & the Gun rightfully remains Redford’s cinematic swan song. Sure, he took on the odd cameo or narrator job in the years that followed, but Lowery’s film was the last time the world got to see Redford in all his iconic glory. He couldn’t have chosen a better film to close out an indelible career on. The light dramedy is a pure treat for fans of classic cinema. Lowery’s appreciation for yesteryear and his careful attention to making sure every detail captured the romance of the era the main story takes place in, is what makes him one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation. The plot is both sublime and fantastic with this story of a career criminal on the run coming off as poetic and almost whimsical. The film maintains this unique blend because of Redford, who naturally finds the right level of playfulness for Forrest that we’re instantly on his side, wanting him to continue on his escapades.
The film boasts a number of scenes that make The Old Man & the Gun the rich cinematic experience that it remains. There’s the scene between Forrest and Jewel (Spacek) in the diner, which is so filled with the kind of flirty back and forth, it’s just too delightful, the confrontation between Detective Hunt (Affleck) in the men’s room (probably the most playful moment in the entire film), and the chase scene where we see Forrest trying to outrun the law as fast as he can. Yet no scene comes close to matching the sheer bliss that is felt when Forrest says goodnight to Jewel following their date. After closing the front door to her house, she starts to walk down the hall before turning back, and on impulse, opens the front door again, only to be greeted by Forrest, who kisses her goodnight. I remember showing The Old Man & the Gun to my father not long after it came out, thinking it might be his kind of movie. When that scene came up, I snuck a look over at him and saw a huge grin on his face. It was a special moment for me and a memory that I always come back to whenever I think about this special film and the legend who helped make it what it was.
Ed Travis
If I’m being totally honest, my first watch of The Old Man & The Gun left me disappointed. I’m a huge fan of writer/director David Lowery’s work and adore Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek, and many of the other cast members of this film. And when the final act left me scratching my head a little bit, I ended up somewhat writing the film off as a light-hearted romp that simply didn’t click for me all that deeply.
But I was happy to revisit the film after Redford’s passing and based on Cinapse staffer Frank Calvillo’s advocacy for it to be considered among the curated titles our team needed to revisit and reevaluate.
The film simply worked its charms on me upon a second chance! Redford’s charisma is electric, and the chemistry between he and Sissy Spacek is undeniable. Perhaps Redford’s recent departure helped me to treasure the late-career performance a little more, and to reflect more deeply upon the film’s themes of truly living and what that means for some eccentric folks.
Perhaps what I bounced off of upon first viewing (spoilers) is that Redford’s character doesn’t choose Spacek in the end; he chooses to continue robbing banks. It’s not the choice I myself would make. But that’s not what movies are about. The Old Man & The Gun is interested in exploring what it looks like for some people to truly pursue their deepest passions in life, even if those things conflict with society’s expectations. It’s a film about a guy who derives genuine pleasure from robbing banks, escaping prisons, and bantering with those pursuing him. And when he’s not doing those things, he simply isn’t living. I’ve never known anyone like that in this world, but that’s a big part of the charm here. Redford confounds everyone he meets, and somehow spreads joy wherever he goes; even if he’s doing that whilst committing armed robbery.
It’s cinematic magic, lightning in a bottle, charming as hell, and a hell of a late-career role for the dearly departed Robert Redford.
