The Old Man & the Gun is a 2018 American biographical crime film written and directed by David Lowery, about Forrest Tucker, a career criminal and prison escape artist. The script is loosely based on David Grann’s 2003 article in The New Yorker titled “The Old Man and the Gun”, which was later collected in Grann’s 2010 book The Devil and Sherlock Holmes. The film stars Robert Redford, Casey Affleck, Danny Glover, Tika Sumpter, Tom Waits and Sissy Spacek. Redford announced his intent to retire from acting at age 82 after completion of the film; it is his penultimate release, preceding Avengers: Endgame.
The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2018, and was theatrically released in the United States on September 28, 2018, by Fox Searchlight Pictures. It received generally positive reviews from critics and, at the Golden Globe Awards, Redford was nominated for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Plot
Career criminal Forrest Tucker, a wanted man for two years since his daring escape from San Quentin State Prison in 1979, has just robbed another bank. While evading police, the 74-year-old charmer comes across a woman on the side of the road with car trouble and stops to give the appearance of assisting. The ploy works as moments later, police drive by without noticing him. The woman, Jewel, who is grateful for his help, buys Tucker lunch at a diner. Despite introducing himself with a fake name, Tucker becomes drawn to Jewel to the point of revealing that he is a bank robber. The two later spend time together on Jewel’s farm where Tucker becomes enamored with her and her life. Tucker makes a plan to pay off the rest of Jewel’s mortgage as a surprise but becomes frustrated after the bank tells him that this would require Jewel’s signature on some documents, negating any surprise.
Tucker goes on to conduct a string of heists, often without having to draw his gun from under his coat. Dallas Police Detective John Hunt compiles police sketches from witnesses who describe Tucker as charming and gentlemanly. He then displays the sketches on the evening news, asking anyone with information to come forward. Shortly afterwards, Hunt’s investigation is taken over by the FBI.
A woman named Dorothy comes forward stating that she is Tucker’s daughter. Although he is no longer on the case, Hunt agrees to meet with her. Dorothy says that she was born while Tucker was in prison making Tucker unaware of her or his grandchild. Hunt is led to Tucker’s former lawyer who says that Tucker has never pulled the trigger of his gun. According to his lawyer, police reports of Tucker firing during a standoff are false as it was simply his car’s engine backfiring. Later, during a night out with Jewel, Tucker happens to recognize Detective Hunt who is with his wife Maureen. Tucker tries to boost Hunt’s confidence but becomes unnerved when Hunt calls him by his real name, “Forrest”, indicating that the recognition is mutual.
Later that evening, police attempt to capture Tucker as he arrives home. He flees but again his car backfires, prompting police to shoot at him, striking him in the arm. He eludes them and makes his way to Jewel’s farm. As it is the early hours of the morning, he decides not to wake Jewel and instead takes one of her horses for a ride. Tucker had never ridden a horse before, and this was on his list of things he wanted to do. While riding, several police vehicles come down the road and turn onto the farm’s property. Tucker resigns himself to surrendering and does. When Jewel visits him in prison, Tucker gives her a list of his sixteen previous escapes from reformatories and prisons, but line number seventeen is left blank. On Jewel’s advice, he remains in San Quentin until the end of his sentence.
When Tucker is released from prison, Jewel is there to pick him up. She takes him to her farm and sets up a room for him, telling him that he can stay as long as he likes. Some time later, Tucker tells Jewel that he is going out on an errand. He calls Detective Hunt from a streetside payphone, and after some brief banter, Tucker sounds distracted and when Hunt asks him if he is ok, Tucker says “I’m about to be”, then hangs up the phone and walks into a bank across the street. A title card states that “Forrest Tucker robbed four banks that day. When he was finally caught, the officers on the scene noted that as they arrested him…[pause]…he was smiling.”
Cast
Robert Redford as Forrest Tucker
Casey Affleck as John Hunt, a police detective assigned to track down Forrest.
Danny Glover as Teddy Green
Tika Sumpter as Maureen Hunt, John’s wife.
Tom Waits as Waller
Sissy Spacek as Jewel, Forrest’s love interest
Elisabeth Moss as Dorothy
Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as Gene Dentler
Keith Carradine as Captain Calder
John David Washington as Lieutenant Kelley
Augustine Frizzell as Sandrine
Gene Jones as Mr. Owens
Reviews
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