3 stars out of 5
The truth is, I haven’t given much thought to Robert Redford in my lifetime. When I was tiny, The Sting was a big deal, and people were still talking about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. (I guess less media = longer attention spans.) But I don’t think I actually saw Redford in a film until The Natural (great), then Out of Africa (boring to teen me), and… maybe Sneakers? I appreciate him starting the Sundance Film Festival; I do not appreciate whatever he did or didn’t do that allowed the once excellent Sundance Channel to become the garbage it is today.
Still, this movie was smartly marketed with a well-timed news item that this might be Redford’s last onscreen role. To pay my respects, and because the trailer looked pretty good, I plunked down a tenner for a matinee screening. (Did I mention I canceled MoviePass?) And I liked it right off the bat. Redford and Sissy Spacek meet cute and are utterly charming together. The it’s-1981 cinematography is soft and so is the writing, lending this a “literary” vibe rather than the brash, targeted-at-seniors, Older Actors on One Last Heist comedies that pop up about every year.
The casting is strong. Redford’s frequent bankrobbing crew includes Danny Glover — the original “I’m getting too old for this shit” guy — and Tom Waits, enjoying himself growling quirky dialogue. A mustachioed Casey Affleck is the cop who wants to catch Redford, but by god he grudgingly respects him too. The “sheeeeeeeeeeit” guy from The Wire is in this for a hot second, as is Peggy Olson.
And… nothing really happens. They rob banks. Affleck says, “Ooh I’m gonna get those guys, even though I grudgingly respect him.” Redford politely courts Spacek. Rinse and repeat. There are laughs. It’s certainly watchable, if not much more. But all is not lost, because I was reminded of the existence of All Is Lost, which I had wanted to see, and learned that it’s on Amazon Prime. As for Mr. Redford, who I hear is reconsidering his retirement, do that, get the gang back together for one last movie better than this one.
Jack Silbert, curator