Stand Up Guys
Dir: Fisher Stevens
2012
***
Fisher Stevens's Stand Up Guys seems to have flown straight under the radar. It was poorly advertised and what little publicity I did see was misleading. A real shame because the film is quite good. Not necessarily what you'd expect from an Al Pacino/Christopher Walken/Alan Arkin 'Gangster' collaboration but that's no bad thing. Opportunities are missed and not all of the story, or indeed some of the scenes, work or are as effective as they were meant to be but there is a whole lot of heart in this film that doesn't go unnoticed. It's not just about three old guys complaining about the aging process either, there is depth to the ideas of faith, friendship and trust and not in the bull-shit way you might see in many action/gangster films. The tender moments make the film worth watching for, it gets a little silly towards the end but at least when it's not being sensible it is being fun.