The big picture
- Redford's last starring role
The old man and the gun
pays tribute to his legendary career in Hollywood. - The film is a poignant character study of a charming bank robber inspired by a true story.
-
The old man and the gun
showcases Redford's enduring charisma and celebrates his iconic status.
As an actor, director, founder of the Sundance Film Festival, and prominent political activist, Robert Redford one of the most iconic legacies in modern Hollywood history has been built. With leading roles spanning six decades and one Oscar for best director for his movie, Street people, Redford has an exceptional track record. This made it all the more upsetting when he announced his retirement from acting in late 2010. While doing press for what is still his final starring role, Redford hinted that he would be walking away from film. For the most part, this has remained true. With only a handful of documentaries and a brief cameo Avengers: EndgameRedford's last starring role came in 2019.
The old man and the gun stars Redford as an aging bank robber who can't bring himself to hang up his trade and Sissy Spacek like a woman shaking up her life after years of crime. The film is a quiet and charming coming-of-age tale, making it an incredibly fitting story to serve as the final star vehicle for one of Hollywood's most legendary figures. Directed by David Lowerythe film is a thoughtful celebration of Redford's own career, and serves as the perfect send-off for the Sundance Kid.
“The Old Man and the Gun” is a (mostly) true story
The old man and the gun is adapted from a 2003 article by The New Yorker written by David Grand (which he also wrote Killers of the Flower Moon). The story is about Forrest Tucker, a real-life career criminal who spent his life in and out of prison. As shown in the movie, Tucker made many successful prison breaks, including one seen in Lowery's film where he built a raft to sail away from San Quentin. According to Grann, Tucker stole an estimated $4 million from several banks throughout his life.
Grann's profile takes its name from the fact that Tucker, aged 79 and living in a retirement community, robbed four banks in a short period of time. Tucker's crimes continuing into such an old age made for a pretty interesting human interest story and a great movie. Redford plays the aging bank robber with great charm and emphasizes that Tucker was a classy, charming and kind person. Grann claims in the profile that the police captain who arrested Tucker said that “I never met such a kind criminal.”
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With a criminal lifestyle dating back to his teenage years and his first prison break at age 15, Tucker was simply in the nature of being who he was. He didn't want to do anything else, and he didn't like being caught, but he always had his eye on another way out. The chase gave him something to look forward to. The film perfectly captures his unusual and contagious spirit. While Redford's Forrest survives his last stint in prison and is up to his old tricks, the real Forrest Tucker died in the middle of his 13-year sentence, a year after Grann's profile.
Robert Redford's “The Old Man and the Gun” captures the actor's charm
Redford's legendary career includes many capers. He and Paul Newman raced against each other and escaped in both Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid i The Sting. Redford took a more technology-oriented approach Sport shoeswhere he enters a state of Robin Hood, and also showed a different side of his star persona The hot rock, a heist comedy. The point is: Robert Redford's characters like to steal things. This is the reason The old man and the gun it's a perfect bow to tie together all of Redford's leading rolesas it is an old-fashioned, warm-hearted story full of bank robberies.
Calling The old man and the gun a crime film would probably do a disservice to both the film and viewers expecting something a little grittier. It's a comfortable watch and, above all, a character study. Forrest Tucker is not a violent criminal, but rather a man who lives for the thrill of the chase and doesn't know when to hang up his hat. His storied career as a bank robber and the legend the film builds up about his escapades reflect Redford's iconic status. It makes the ending all the more fitting when both Redford and Forrest said they would quit, but neither fully committed. Since Forrest is said to have robbed four banks in one day right after the film was finished, Redford has continued to lend his voice to various projects over the past few years, so while he hasn't appeared in a leading role, has not completely disappeared from the world of cinema.
Lowery's film gives Redford a chance to showcase everything that made audiences fall in love with him over the decades. He's romantic, funny, smart, tough, and endlessly charming. Her chemistry with Spacek, whom she meets early in the film and develops a charming relationship with, is at the heart of the film. They really shine together on screen, and he plays it wonderfully too Danny Glover i Tom Waits like the other two guys in the “Over the Hill Gang”. Redford's magnetic charisma has not dimmed at all with age. Lowery's film is a celebration of Redford's work, but it's also a living document of a man who still has that movie star status after all these years. In an age where genuine movie stars feel less and less common, it's a real treat to have one last lesson from the best of them. The old man and the gun it's a farewell to a defining cornerstone of modern Hollywood and a film that glides on like a warm blanket.
The old man and the gun is available to rent on Prime Video in the US
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