Old Guy

One of the methods I utilize when choosing what films to watch is if the film features people I like, whether in front of or behind the camera, I’ll check it out. With that in mind, Simon West’s new film Old Guy quickly grabbed my attention. With a cast that includes two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz, Cooper Hoffman, and Lucy Liu, I didn’t really care what it was about—I was in. I’ll admit, this method doesn’t always work out, but overall, it has served me well. However, Old Guy, while not bad, proves that even the best cast can’t always save a film from itself.

When it comes to contract killing, Danny Dolinski (Christoph Waltz) is one of the best in the business. But age continues to remain undefeated, and Danny’s trigger hand has started to suffer from arthritis, requiring surgery. Now that he’s healed up, he’s ready to get back to work. The problem? His employers are moving on from the old guard, favoring a new crop of killers. Instead of giving him a fresh assignment, they want Danny to train a younger hitman on how to be successful.

Enter Wihlborg (Cooper Hoffman), a sharpshooter with raw talent but none of Danny’s refinement or experience. Danny wants nothing to do with this arrangement—he just wants to prove he can still do the job. When they’re assigned a high-stakes mission, he sees it as his shot at proving he’s still got it. Along for the ride is Anata (Lucy Liu), an old friend of Danny’s who isn’t a killer—she’s just there to enjoy the sights while the guys work. But things go south quickly, and soon Danny isn’t just training Wihlborg—he may be the only one who can keep them all alive.

Written by Greg Johnson, Old Guy struggles to be either consistently funny or exciting, as it doesn’t offer anything you haven’t seen before. That being said, it’s not a terrible movie—it just feels tedious at times, with its watchability largely dependent on its cast.

Old Guy is labeled as an action-comedy, but while it delivers some action, the comedy is lacking—unless you find generation gap jokes particularly hilarious. The hitman-action is fairly light as well, though the third act picks up with a solid car chase and a handful of shootouts.

Where the film truly falls short is in its execution. Director Simon West hit the scene hard with the still fun Con Air in 1997 but since then his action films have been pretty lackluster. Where Old Guy succeeds is in its casting. Waltz and Hoffman manage to inject life into otherwise dull characters. Waltz, in particular, shines, bringing just the right amount of excitable energy to his role.

Aside from the cast, another highlight is the film’s visuals. Martin Ahlgren’s cinematography makes excellent use of real locations, giving the film a stylish, grounded feel. Ultimately though, Old Guy has just enough to be watchable. It carries the vibe of a future TNT movie that plays on repeat—and I guess that’s okay since that’s where a lot of West’s films end up anyway.