The Old Man and the Gun (2018) * * *

Directed by:  David Lowery

Starring:  Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek, Danny Glover, Casey Affleck, Tom Waits, Gene Jones, Tika Sumpter

Robert Redford remains charismatic and charming.  His performance in The Old Man and the Gun carries the film, which is lightweight material buoyed by Redford's presence as an elderly gentleman who, other than being a serial bank robber, is a sweet guy.   I don't intend that as snark or sarcasm.    Redford's Forrest Tucker is a genial man, even while he's holding up a bank teller.    Bank employees can't help but marvel at his niceness when being interviewed by police.    I suppose if you're going to held up, Forrest would be the best option to be your robber. 

We first meet Forrest as he enters a bank wearing a fake moustache and pleasantly informing the bank manager of his intentions.    He gets away scot-free, and meets a pleasant woman named Jewel (Spacek) along the way.   It is clear Forrest is very good at bank robbing and enjoys it.    He doesn't need the money, and his partners Teddy (Glover) and Waller (Waits) stay in the game to give themselves purpose in their old age.    Forrest spent most of his life behind bars, and has escaped fifteen of the eighteen times he was incarcerated.    We see each and every escape via a montage which includes footage from Redford's earlier film roles.

Could Jewel be the one who finally gets Forrest to settle down?   He was married once, and we find he has a daughter and grandson he never knew about.    The movie wisely doesn't use this information in a trite subplot.    Instead, it further illustrates Forrest's single-minded passion in life does not include a family.    When Jewel asks him if he has kids, Forrest replies, "I sure hope not".
Forrest likes Jewel enough and maybe there are moments when he thinks a life with her may be what's best for him, but does she put a smile on his face the way armed robbery does?  

We also meet Detective John Hunt (Affleck), a Texas detective bored with his job and disliking the long hours away from his family.    But, once word of Forrest's robberies surface, the chase invigorates him much in the same way robbery does for Forrest.    Hunt deduces Forrest's serial robberies go back a few years and respects his quarry for his abilities.    Thankfully, The Old Man and the Gun doesn't devolve into a cat and mouse showdown with a violent end.    The men develop a mutual respect, and their one scene together takes place in a diner, although don't expect the same intensity as the DeNiro/Pacino diner scene from Heat.    This isn't that kind of movie.

The Old Man and the Gun runs a mostly taut 95 minutes and while it leans heavily on Redford, the supporting cast has some nice moments also, especially Waits delivering an offbeat rhythm to his role which makes us wish he spoke more often.     I also enjoyed the aesthetics of the opening credits and the grainy film stock, which allows to be believe that we are not only seeing events which took place in 1981, but a film which could've been made then also.    Redford originally stated this would be his last film role.    He later backtracked a bit on this statement, which is heartening.    If The Old Man and the Gun proves nothing else, it proves Redford still has it as a leading man at 82.