Old Guy

Talk about a movie that should be watched on your phone because everyone in it phoned it in. Christopher Waltz is horribly miscast as an aging hitman with an injury, he is about as convincing as Danny Devito's chances of being drafted to the NBA.

Everything in this movie is cheap and forgettable, be it the pathetic car chase or the abysmal digital fire. Literally finished watching this 5 mins ago and I'm struggling to remember any scene of performance worth mentioning.

The only positive is that it's runtime, it feels short and an easy film to have playing in the background when you are doing something else.

If your goal was to watch a film with great action, intrigue and classic hitman/spy vibes then avoid like the plague. This is a mess, wanting to be funny but isn't, wanting to be clever, but isn't, wanting to be entertaining and again isn't. It feels like a movie made for tax write-offs and has roped in a cast that legit are bound by some irreversible contract or ungodly bet.

Old Guy is a comedic reworking of The Mechanic, the 1970s thriller that starred Charles Bronson.

Christoph Waltz is the ageing hitman Danny Dolinski. He still goes clubbing but has an arthritic hand. It means he cannot shoot straight.

His shadowy bosses are modernising. Out go the old timers. In come the young whippersnappers.

Danny has to train the Gen Z new blood, Wihlborg (Cooper Hoffman) who is still wet behind the ears and needs to learn the craft of being a hitman.

They are tasked to kill an Irish mobster, but the job goes south. Now they are the target.

This is a generic comedy thriller that has been done to death in the last few years. The screenplay is anaemic. It wastes the talented cast which includes Lucy Liu who really does not have much to do.

The only interesting thing about this movie is the sheer number of people with producer credits.

Yes, the movie follows a familiar formula, one of those films where you find yourself thinking, I've seen so many like this. I agree that it doesn't break new ground or brining something new and similar other movies exist, but there's a catch.

Despite its simplicity, the movie is enjoyable. At the end of the day, it serves its purpose well, that is entertainment.

What makes it stand out? The exceptional acting skills of Christoph Waltz. His performance adds an extra flavour to the old recipe, making it better the film above many others currently being released.

A good popcorn watch, so just do.

Old Man definitely hints of The Mechanic & others of a similar genre. Although I do think it was different enough to be very entertaining. Walz is an amazing actor, so for me I enjoyed his performance. I loved the premise, the dry humour, & the juxtaposition of generations. If the script had someone give it a final read through to tweak it, this movie could have delivered much more. The dialogue was at times stilted & awkward & they missed many chances to take advantage of the humourous situations throughout the film. So many pieces of a great movie are here but it doesn't quite live up to it. Still, overall a good movie and solid acting.

In light British mob dramatic-thriller "Old Guy" the London firm of implausibly young-at-heart titular hit-man Christoph Waltz prepares him for retirement by having him oversee / train young new-age upcoming killer Cooper Hoffman (good) on a 'suicide mission' to Belfast - on which Waltz takes along old friend Lucy Liu (also good). Experienced director Simon West aims for an "In Bruges" feel but Greg Johnson's second screenplay (after the decent "The Last Son") gives it no chance of hitting such heights. Not funny enough to be a comedy, but too silly to be a tense thriller, it falls between the two genres rather than rising as a crossover. Passably entertaining - no more.