Director: Zach Braff
Distributor: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Duration: 96 minutes
Going in Style (Blu-ray) – Movie Review
Michael Kaine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin have been in the movie business for quite some time, and it has been a while since these actors were in the lead of several movies per year, or at least movies that broke records in sales. Sometimes we just have to face the music and realize that even our favorite actors are human and these people age just as fast as us. Luckily this trio shows no real signs of slowing down, and they take the lead in Going in Style, a comedy about three old farts robbing a bank, for a righteous cause.
Joe Harding (Michael Kaine) leads a fairly carefree life together with his daughter and granddaughter, until his bank sends him a foreclosure notice that warns him about his deposits. As expected, the bank doesn’t care, but during his visit to the bank, it gets robbed, and this grand happening in Joe’s life makes a big impression. When he later learns that he, and his two best friends, Willie (Morgan Freeman) and Albert (Alan Arkin) will lose their pensions, because the company they worked for is moving abroad and is closing all their American structures, the trio is rather desperate. Joe has to take care of his daughter and grandchild, while Willie is struggling with a fatal disease and Albert, well Albert seems fairly unmoved as it feels like he is somewhat tired of his life. Nonetheless, this desperate situation calls for desperate measures, and thus Joe decides to come up with a plan, namely to rob the bank that is putting them in this situation. First Willie and Albert think Joe is crazy, or at least joking, but when they find out he’s serious, Willie acts doubtful and Albert doesn’t wants anything to do with it. Of course, as expected, the two others turn around, and they start planning how to rob a bank, even though this elderly trio isn’t really experienced in the world of crime, or simply isn’t really in shape for a job such as this.
The movie’s flow is just about right, where enough information is given about the characters’ precarious situation, the possible solution and of course the actual execution of the bank heist. All of this is properly introduced with a lot of humor, short funny situations and many different sceneries, making sure the movie never becomes boring and bland, and overall things remain interesting, which is rare for movies such as this, as they often have rather uneventful buildups. The movie has a few clichés embedded into all of the events, but it still manages to surprise you a few times along the way, and the overall topic of old geezers robbing a bank is quite original in itself.
This movie is all about Michael Kaine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin, and it can be easily said that these old geezers still know what pleases the viewer, even if they can’t play any flashy roles anymore and have to take things ‘slower’ than they used to. The movie is brought with proper conviction and has a realistic vibe, even if the topic is a bit farfetched at times. The supporting roles are all decent, but the movie focuses heavily on the three criminals to be.
In terms of special features this Blu-ray release of Going in Style only comes with commentaries and a few deleted scenes. Of course, a movie such as this doesn’t really need any special features, as you’ll have no real questions when the credits start to roll.
Conclusion
Going in Style was a surprising movie, as we dived in with reasonably low expectations and eventually were treated to something very enjoyable, not completely predictable and a movie that simply turned out to be likeable, and exciting in a comedic sense. It shows that old dogs are still able to learn a few new tricks.
Going in Style (Blu-ray) - Movie Review,
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