Stand Up Guys

Val (Al Pacino) is released from prison after serving 28 years. His friend Doc (Christopher Walken) has been ordered to kill him before the morning. Conflicted, Doc spends the night with Val partying.

The story is almost unimportant. It certainly has nothing too compelling. Alan Arkin adds his own color and Lucy Punch is kinda fun as a bodied whorehouse madam. However, this is mostly about spending time with Al Pacino and Christopher Walken together. They have great chemistry. Don't expect much from the rest. It's a fun watch for fans of these actors. It's not their best work but it's certainly plenty good.

The film has a nice genuine feel about it, great story, great acting and a great soundtrack that compliments the film and characters! I found myself getting sucked in to the characters and as much as I enjoy seeing Walken act and hearing his dialogue, Pacino was great in this film too. He's not an angry mobster but a likable criminal one of his best films I think. Walken doesn't give us the old stories that we are used to but his presence is just perfection.

Do not expect this film to be full of gangster violence and action, this is the other end of the career. Experience and heart goes a long way.

I have to say that if this film was made with a different cast I think it would have been slow and easy to miss, walken and pacino make the film as genuine as they come.

I won't pretend to avidly follow new movie releases, but I am shocked that this movie, which is a superbly written and executed (pun intended) story about lifelong friendship, did not generate more attention. Is it because Pacino, Arkin and Walken are perceived to be past their red carpet primes themselves? I hope not! Doing for others because they are friends, with full knowledge of their flaws, is something we might want to consider more frequently. And what could be better than to do so with wit and great fun at the local house of ill repute? All things modernized since one character entered his long journey (close to three decades in prison) are underscored without being condescending. And ultimately, justice and mercy triumph.

I can't wait to watch this again.

Three legends. Three Oscar winners directed by another Oscar winner (Fisher Stevens won as producer for a documentary). United in one movie. That should be enough and one should expect maybe just a decent script and then fine. "Stand Up Guys" promises too much while securing Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin in the front row but delivers less than expected with its usual crime/comedy elements focusing on aging criminals and very few to say. The cast chemistry is good (but Pacino already had movies with the other guys, sharing scene with Arkin in "Glengarry Glen Ross" and with Walken in "Gigli" although they don't share scenes in that thing) and it's probably the only reason why everybody wants to see this movie

But it's terribly generic. Pacino done his sentence and is released from prison. Walken is waiting for him for two reasons: 1) to see his old friend again and 2) to kill him, contracted by another criminal boss (Mark Margolis) who wants to revenge his son's death. Soon they rejoin Arkin and the gang is back on action. Besides the fact that they all have fun together after a long time without seeing each other, what's most important here is their reflections on life and time and enjoy the little moments. It's all very simplistic told - a little let down since we're delighted with great and powerful stars - but it achieves some effect.

The drama takes a long while to be really gripping, and the comedy only gets truly good when Arkin finally appears (despithe top billing with the other guys, he's there for very briefly, showing up after long thirty minutes). He made this something almost remarkable, efficiently funny. I think the actors presence and relative brilliance compensate the script's lack of real premise, lack of more movement and characters and even lack of challenge for everyone involved. Enjoy their company and that's it. That must be enough, sometimes. 6/10

Not having gotten around to watching "Stand Up Guys" before now was a mistake on my behalf, especially given the three acting heavyweighters that stars in the movie; Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin.

"Stand Up Guys" is a good comedy that has a nice story to tell. Although this is not the type of comedy that will have you spilling your drinks in your laps from laughing, it is the type of light-hearted comedy that will make you feel good.

The story is about Val (played by Al Pacino) who comes out from prison after 28 years of incarceration. Meeting him at the entrance is his old friend Doc (played by Christopher Walken). Doc has been hired to kill Val and has a time limit until the next morning; and during this time the old friends start up old habits and revisit old friends.

The characters in the movie were nicely fleshed out and nicely detailed. There is a really good chemistry between Pacino and Walken, and this really reflects well on both characters that they play, because there is a very good sense of friendship and intimacy's with one another as they are on the screen.

The movie offers drama, action, comedy and even a high speed chase.

"Stand Up Guys" is a fun and great movie, which offers 95 minutes of great entertainment. If not for the good story, then the movie is well worth watching for the three stars of the movie.