Poster of The Old Man and the Gun
Today I would like to recommend a movie about "old men" - "The Old Man & the Gun", which is based on real people and real events, and the story is from a 2003 article in The New Yorker magazine, telling the story of a nearly 70-year-old grandfather who insisted on working (robbing the bank) and did not want to "retire". Although the title of the movie is "The Old Man and the Gun", the protagonist is different from the gangsters that everyone imagines, the old man is gentle and elegant, like an old gentleman, in his "work" career, he has never fired a shot.
Tucker is robbing a bank
The story of "The Old Man and the Gun" begins in tucker's later years, when he already has more than 18 prison escapes, and he and two other equally elderly partners rob banks across the United States, and because of their careful planning and low-key behavior, almost no one regards them as a serial robbery. Tucker would wear an aqua blue suit and then rather politely ask the crew if he could fill his suitcase and lift his jacket to reveal his weapon, but the camera would always only capture Robert Redford's intoxicating smile in the mid-shot position at this moment, and his weapon was never filmed in the whole movie, and Tucker's blue eyes and his smile were already powerful weapons.
Agent John
Faced with the bank robbers, there is bound to be a young policeman who wants to bring them to justice, this policeman played by Casey Affleck, nearly 40 years old but tired of the world, squeezed dry by life to the point of no motivation of the poor policeman John, in the process of trying to hunt down Tucker, slowly with the screen audience gradually understand the motives of this bank robber, this robber began to commit crimes at the age of 13, robbed other people's bicycles, according to the character in the movie" said, "he has found the favorite", Years of crime have made him regard bank robbery as his favorite, and since he has found the favorite, he will certainly not give up lightly. And Tucker will rob the bank as a way to satisfy his pursuit of fun and excitement, preferring to risk robbing the bank, escaping from prison and robbing again after being imprisoned, this courage and persistence actually healed the tired John, so that John also began to understand life.
Stills from The Old Man and the Gun
The temperament of the whole film, just like the above-mentioned old gentleman charm, is not a blood-pumping action movie (although it is a story of the police hunting down a bank robber), but a very soft, casual but full of expectations. We watched the old man loot a bank one by one, and watched the detectives approach the truth step by step. But we're not nervous at all – that's the feeling that the young guy gave us, he did everything he could to show off, he wanted you to keep your eyes on him, you think he's great, he's having a lot of fun, he's thoughtful, he knows what to give you, but you always feel a little pressure in front of him because you know it's a game of mutual favor.
But the old gentleman is not like this, he is very comfortable to be himself, because he knows very well that his own characteristics are so attractive, he just because of himself, your eyes can not be separated from him. He will tell some naughty jokes, make you laugh but will not laugh until he loses his image, he is good at talking, and he can tell some tasteless trivialities of life to make you relish. You feel very comfortable with him, you don't worry about losing face at all, you can also be yourself with confidence, and you can be yourself, in his eyes, you are already the best yourself.
Jewel and Tucker
The protagonist is set as a bank thief, but the depiction of the robbery in "The Old Man and the Gun" is taken through the montage clip, which is not the focus of David Lowey, "The Old Man and the Gun" focuses on the helplessness of the old thief under the passage of time, and the possibility of atonement for the restart of his life, and the object of provoking his heart is a widow named Julie. During one of his escapes, Tucker pretends to be kind enough to help her escape from the trailing police, but as the two spend more time together, Tucker becomes more emotionally invested in him, even confessing to her his true identity, even though Julie does not believe him at first.
American restaurant dining shots
"The Old Man and the Gun" has multiple scenes, shooting two people eating and chatting in an American restaurant, such a simple scene, but in the movie is like a magical moment, Robert Redford and Sissi Spicer have a chemical effect that is difficult to describe in words, I am convinced that David Lowey also knows, so he will shoot the interaction between the two smoothly and quietly, so that the time between the two people almost condenses time in a moment. In another passage, Tucker takes Julie to the silver jewelry store to pick out the bracelet, and Julie, who was originally carrying the bracelet, walks straight out of the door, Julie laughs, the camera closely follows the movement of the two, and then Julie gently takes Tucker back to the store to pay, and Julie becomes a dawn to save Tucker's exiled life.
Each film has its own rhythm, and the time when they "take off." Some are slow, all the way to the final climactic stage to amaze you; many at the end of the first act, the first 30-40 minutes are laid out, and the audience also has a deep consensus, knowing that when this information is received, the screenwriter will start to make a move; but "The Old Man and the Gun" almost catches your eyes from the beginning, and the story advances less than 10 minutes, and you have already been abducted by the charming old man in front of you with the heroine.
Director David Lowe (left)
Directed by David Lowery, whose recent work includes "Ain't Them Bodies Saints," "Pete's Dragon," and "A Ghost Story," his new book, The Old Man and the Gun, portrays the protagonist as a charismatic old bank robber, always politely asking the banker manager if he could stuff his suitcase with money, thank him, and then walk away. Always with an amiable smile on his face. Why are they all seventy years old, the gentleman robber still has to take risks, "The Old Man and the Gun" tells a man who is always unwilling to give up the only thing he is good at in life, and one of the detectives explains, "He never robbed to make a living, but for life."
Robert Redford
Robert Redford plays Tucker, the old man in the film, who incorporates his personal screen charm into the old man's character, becoming a polite, slow, and humorous old gentleman, wearing a suit and tie, and seeing bank robbery as his way of enjoying life rather than making a living. During the robbery process and the escape chased by the police, he could not help but smile because of the joy in his heart.
This work is the work of legendary actor Robert Redford and is a perfect end. It's hard to imagine an 82-year-old man being so attractive. He walked into the bank so calmly, calmly snatched the money, calmly escaped the police pursuit, and finally calmly seduced the sister, you are completely conquered by the calmness, boldness, cleverness and humor of this role, not the confidence of 007's manhood to erupt to love me, but a natural and pleasant charm.
The film is also like a love letter to the legendary actor Robert Redford, the drama is like life, Robert Redford, who has been in Hollywood for decades, announced his end with "The Old Man and the Gun", David Lowey said in an interview: "Robert Redford did not tell everyone that this would be his farewell work until the film started, and suddenly I felt infinite pressure, he chose this film depicting the old age of the elderly robber as his farewell work, and as a director, I not only want to make a work that satisfies him tens of millions of fans, I want to make a film that deserves to make Robert Redford say goodbye", so "The Old Man and the Gun" almost became Robert Redford's personal stage show, his smile and blinking eyes reminded people of why he could become a legendary superstar, and a montage at the end of the movie was directly moved out of the clip of his early performance, and countless fans in the movie hall exclaimed in an instant.
The elegant and lively jazz melody of "The Old Man and the Gun" echoes Tucker's special fun romance, and also puts in the classic clips of Robert Redford films and photos of his youth, making "The Old Man and the Gun" more like referring to Robert Redford's many years of acting career, with his charm on the big screen as an outlaw, breaking into fame. "The Old Man and the Gun" makes the audience who have never seen Robert Redford's handsome image blurt out "Robert Redford young and super handsome" in admiration. The director pays tribute to Robert Redford's acting career with The Old Man and the Gun, including a tree climbing clip from The Chase prison in 1966 and a wordcard at the beginning of 1969's Tiger and Leopard, and a goodbye gesture from 1973's The Sting (Cassie Affleck performs at the hospital in the film).
Interestingly, veteran movie stars such as Robert Redford and Clint Eastwood have both made "The Old Man and the Gun" and "The Mule", with similar themes, but the stories told are different, while Robert Redford's "The Old Man and the Gun" is more romantic and more star-studded. Although Robert Redford said that "The Old Man and the Gun" is his film work, but to be honest, Tucker is already trembling when he walks, and he wants to continue to rob the bank, and the audience probably thinks that Robert Redford will not easily disappear. If he doesn't act for a while, he may actually accumulate strength, and then he will be more focused on making or directing movies.
(End)