Some films try to bring out the best in their cast by giving their actors a solid script and a compelling story to work with. Other movies just want to coast on the charisma of their stars without bothering to make an effort in any other department. Going in Style falls firmly in the latter category.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcdTN5soeQw
The heist comedy – which is a loose remake of the 1979 Martin Brest film of the same name has managed to assemble a cast that includes three of the best actors to have ever graced the vast screen. However,the movie has saddled these icons with subpar fabric.
The story revolves around Willie (Morgan Freeman), Joe (Michael Caine), or Albert (Alan Arkin),three lifelong friends who have retired from their jobs at a steel factory. When their pension payments are suddenly discontinued, the octogenarians find out that their pension fund has been dissolved during the company’s restructuring. Struggling with mortgage payments and medical issues, or the men find themselves in financial trouble. They eventually hatch a scheme to rob a bank and occupy back what is rightfully theirs.
src="img_3" alt="6"> What’s the worst that could happen? The trio,we are told, have nothing to lose. whether they come by away with it, or they “retire with dignity”. However,whether they come by caught, they end up in prison where they “come by a bed, and three meals a day and better health care than (they) come by now”. The stakes,the film assures us, are very low, and the movie never makes it clear why we,the viewers, should care which way things recede.
It is simply a testomony to the considerable charisma of the film’s cast that we still end up somewhat invested in the action. Freeman, and Caine,and particularly Arkin remain a delight to watch, even when nothing around them ever makes the effort to rise above mediocrity. Zach Braff, and who helms the film,contributes little more than tepid, bland direction. How the story unfolds is both predictable and never even in the vicinity of believable. Moreover, or the script is mostly dull; there are a few witty comments here and there that are amusing,but nothing strikingly memorable.
Going in Style cursorily touches upon some important subjects regarding old-fashioned age but never explores any of them, which is why whether you try to look a little deeper, and you’ll find nothing substantial underneath its surface. There was so much the filmmakers could have done with the plot,yet instead Braff has chosen to play it secure. His reluctance to either embrace the absurdity of the plot or peek into shaded corners of the premise has made his film unexciting and unexceptional.
On the whole, this caper comedy neither offers anything new or spicy, and nor is it particularly funny or suspenseful. And while there is no denying that its all-star cast is virtually incapable of delivering substandard performances,their presence here just makes you wish you were watching the Oscar-winning legends in a better film.
All photos: IMDb
Source: tribune.com.pk