The Old Man

Enjoyed the first Season. The pacing, story, and characters were in good form. Costumes, set design, and music are top notch in both seasons. Various elements have become diluted with the 2nd season. The actors still give committed performances, but most of the dialogue is ridiculously ponderous. Some of Lithgow's lines come off as so basic that it's nearly laughable. His character appears to have just been hired into the intelligence community. This is not the actor's fault, it's the script. Many scenes feel like a Parade of Preciousness. Ironically, this tactic diminishes the potential of mystery. The languorous script is in harmony with the camera pace: there are enough long shots to flood a swimming pool. I plan to finish this season (just one more episode to go), but I'm not too keen to watch Season 3, assuming there is one. Maybe this show would have worked better as a movie.

In 6 months, Jeff Bridges will turn 73 years old. Indeed, he is an old man. His character makes those grunting noises from the effort of arising in the morning, and you also overhear a very sporadic urine stream in the middle of the night. Starting in Peter Bogdanovich's seminal "The Last Picture Show," Bridges continued to build an enviable career out of numerous carefully drawn roles, each one truly unique and most of them more memorable than the last. He was finally awarded his long overdue Best Actor Oscar for "Crazy Heart" a few years ago, and then last year we almost lost him because of CoVID-19. But he's back as a beat-up old ex-spy and is perfect for and in this latest complex part.

In 4 months, John Lithgow will be 77 years old. Also by most narrow definitions, an old man. Is he the obvious villain of this story, or might he actually be the hero? You are never quite sure with a Lithgow character, and this one's no exception.

Supporting roles for such long-time pros as Amy Brenneman and Joel Gray are also well written and, of course, superbly well performed. But no mistake: this miniseries totally belongs to the one and only Jeff Bridges. And by extension, to all of us who remain his long-time fans more than a half century later. Not to be missed. 9/10.

Episode one had so much promise; Jeff Bridges, his Rottweilers and the taste of danger and drama to come. Enter John Lithgow as the perfect foil/nemesis and I thought we were really cooking. Add some intriguing flashbacks to spice up the recipe, but finally, the ridiculous Afghan-Russian conflict and the pseudo sensitive conversations that go nowhere... blah blah blah, yada yada yada. Great big let down; episodes two through six. Hopefully, they can save this one, but I wouldn't count on it.

This show starts super strong with great actions and a slow roll out of backstory that leaves you very intrigued. Once you are caught up by episode 4, things aren't going so well. Lithgow and Bridges are excellent. Shawcat is kind of a boat anchor, delivering every line almost in monotone. None of the characters are particularly endearing. As the plot development and action slows down after a few episodes, a lot of awkward dialogue fills its place. It seems clear that the writers were trying to recreate the style of The Counselor, screenplay written by Cormac McCarthy, but not doing such a great job. The more literary style of the The Counselor left a lot of viewers confused. How much more so will a bad copy.

I'll keep watching, hoping things get better.

The Old Man is a spy thriller that is absolutely worth watching! Jeff Bridges is as terrific as always and does an incredible job making you believe he's still a bad ass at 72! His dogs steal every scene they're in and remind me of the dogs from John Wick. The rest of the cast all are at the top of their game here too, especially John Lithgow (who rarely disappoints). I know there are a lot of really good spy shows out there to choose from but this has everything you want from a spy thriller and should definitely be seen. I'm really looking forward to more and recommend this to anyone who's a fan of spy thrillers.