Imagine wake up after years in a coma, bound to a chair with a masked stranger who holds a gun to the head and insists that you summarize the action for a new movie that you have never seen without any context other than the title. You can assume that you were a goner until you heard that the movie is called ‘Old. “With only the two words you might be able to conclude that film was about an old guy who had found success in some form of stereotypical career, such as police or crime. And your first guess would probably be that he was put in his way and had to interact with someone younger who saw the world completely different. You can guess that he insists on working alone and does not kindly take new blood, just to find his attitude softening when they encountered danger together.
And you would be right. Simon West’s “Old Guy” is as dependent on Tropes as the name implies, starring Christoph Waltz Like Danny Dolinski an aging hitman who is fighting a nasty case of arthritis that is asked to mentor a rising star in his industry. Wihlborg (Cooper Hoffman) is an incredible shot that has already worked half a dozen dangerous jobs. The only problem is he can be for Good at killing. The child never seems to complete a job without releasing any innocent spectators on the way out through the door, so Dolinski’s employer asks him to teach him what kind of discretion is required to enjoy a long career in murder-by-rental industry.
Wihlborg is all that Dolinski is not. While the old guy lives in an impeccable leather jacket that looks like it accompanied him on more than a few assignments, the child likes to wear colorful hoods and hats. Director Simon West and the screenwriter Greg Johnson take every opportunity to remind each other that the teacher and the student are opposites that do not attract. Dolinski does not like Wihlborg to paint his nails, while Whilborg believes that Dolinski loses the word “retard” a little too liberal. But sartorial disagreements take a rear seat to the greater generation conflict: Dolinski wants his apprentice to shut up and learn to listen, but Wihlborg does not think he needs to learn anything.
Through a series of conversations in neon-colored bars and sentimental sunset walks, we get to see the mentor-mentee relationship develop into something a little more nuanced than you usually expect from a buddy-action comedy. Storytelling beats may be the same as a thousand other films, but they are executed with enough tenderness to have the audience really rooting for a friendship to form. The same cannot necessarily be said of a romance between Dolinski and a one -time interest played by Lucy Liu, which only draws focus from more important stories without adding any of the narrative value.
You’ve probably seen this movie a few times already, but the two joints work hard to ensure that “old guy” can at least be a nice diversion on your next two hour flight. Dolinski is not the most interesting character in the world, but Christoph Waltz is still one of Great actors in his generation. It is always a pleasure to see him in a leading role, and he embodies the titular old guy with enough world’s tired charisma to prevent the gimmick from ever grid. And the script does not give Hoffman almost as much to work with as he had in “Lakrit pizza,” But “Old Guy” is exhibition B for the argument that he has enough screen presence to be a movie star as his father.
Ideally, you want your action comedies to contain persuasive action sequences and Funny comedy. At least it is fair to expect one of the two. Despite a semi -compelling relationship in the core, “Old Guy” is not almost as fun as it thinks it is, and its sets are quite flat according to action standards. It is far from the worst movie you will see about an aging hitman who takes his complaints about the time of youth. But it is a reminder that all filmmakers who want to tell a story about an old dog reluctantly to learn new tricks would be better at finding some fresher tricks.
Rating: C+
Avenue releases “Old Guy” in theaters everywhere Friday 21 February.
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