Old Man & the Gun, The

Stars: Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover, Tom Waits, Tika Sumpter, John David Washington, Elisabeth Moss, Lisa DeRoberts

Director: David Lowery

A pleasant comedy-drama about an unreformed criminal (based on a real person) who has spent almost his whole life robbing banks and escaping (16 times) from prison. The small-scale film does lack variation and urgency, but it will leave you with a smile.

Forrest Tucker (bizarrely also the name of a Hollywood star from decades ago) is the recidivist robber who provides Redford with what he says will be his last screen role, and he's engaging in the part, though no more so than fellow-veteran Spacek, as a widow whom he mets when he's on his way back from another bank raid and her truck has broken down.

We first meet him, though, in 1981, when the exploits of this 'gentleman bandit' and his fellow-robbers Glover and Waits are beginning to attract the attention of weary cop Affleck, often mumbling incoherently in the role, who dubs them 'The Over-the-Hill Gang'.

Tucker relieves banks (sometimes more than one in the same day) of their cash with friendly charm and a tip of the hat, and has his getaway planned down to the last detail. It's a neat farewell for Redford (footage of his earlier films is a nice touch, too), but it's the inherent warmth of Spacek that takes the day.

David Quinlan

USA 2018. UK Distributor: 20th Century Fox (Fox Searchlight). Technicolor.
93 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 12A.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 1.

Review date: 04 Dec 2018