Film Review: The Old Man and the Gun

Robert Redford stars as aged criminal and bank robber Forrest Tucker in David Lowery’s The Old Man and the Gun. The film tells the true story of how 70 year old Forest Tucker conducted an unprecedented string of heists. The catch being that he was 'sort of a gentleman’. Tucker would kindly show you his pistol and politely explain that he was robbing you. The whole ordeal leads to say that it’s all 'kind of a funny story' when recounting the experience to the detective.

The detective in this laid-back cops-and-robbers movie is John Hunt played by Casey Affleck. Hunt, who appears lost and unsure about the direction of his craft, is infatuated with Forrest’s commitment and adoration for his. The interplay between the two characters leads us to quickly realise that this isn’t a heist movie but an existential drama about refusing to accept the passing of time. It’s a film about finding what you love and indulging in it, no matter how old you are. This is the exact lesson that Hunt learns from Tucker and perhaps the reason why we find a weird admiration and certain charm from Forrest. He tells us, 'I’m not talking about making a living, I’m just talking about living'. The old man simply loves robbing banks.

Stylistically, the film offers a warm late 70s/early 80s aesthetic with its 16mm film and kodachrome colour scheme. The casual jazzy soundtrack also creates an amusingly playful casualness to Forrest’s schemes and heists. Robert Redford’s graceful performance as Forrest Tucker is the true highlight of the film. He brings to life the laid-back charismatic southern gentleman through his witty banter with the rest of the cast.

However, that’s really as far as the film goes. There is never anything truly driving the story forward. As the audience we kind of drift along lazily following Tucker’s antics, as there is never a true sense of urgency about anything—despite urgency being a staple of heist movies. It all kind of happens. Overall, don’t go into the film expecting a heist movie. The Old Man and the Gun is fundamentally a laid-back platform for Robert Redford to take a well-deserved bow on screen, all the while providing a nonchalant look into the absurdness that is Forrest Tucker’s life story.

Konstantin Knezic