by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Father time is undefeated. If you’re a sports fan, chances are you’ve heard this quote a lot, especially when it comes to an athlete entering the twilight of their career. Athletes often have to adapt to the game they play and find ways to adapt in order to keep their career alive. For instance, star basketball players eventually evolve their game and focus more on jump shots instead of driving to the rim and putting their bodies at risk. Pitchers in baseball can’t always be starting pitchers, so they either transition to play fewer games, transition to become a reliever, or transition to be a closer. A quarterback in football might be the starter for a while, but will eventually morph into the second string quarterback that will help develop the new quarterback, or sign minimum deals to keep their playing days alive. A lot of players eventually will be relegated to a bench role, regardless of the sport they play. A lot of professions fall into these tropes where the new guard rises, while the old generation walks off into the sunset. Even in Hollywood, certain performers start off as the lead, but then eventually evolve to supportive roles or behind-the-scenes roles. Some people buck tradition and find ways to age gracefully into their roles. A recent example of this is Liam Neeson and Tom Cruise. In their older years, they’ve become action heroes.
After watching The Old Man, Jeff Bridges might be following in Neeson’s footsteps.
The Old Man, created by Robert Levine and Jonathan E. Steinberg, and based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Perry, is about Dan Chase (Bridges), a former CIA operative who has decided to live off the radar. When Chase’s past comes back to haunt him, an old ally from the CIA, Harold Harper (John Lithgow), and his team, including agent Emily (Alia Shawkat), begin the pursuit to bring Dan to a dangerous adversary. The Old Man is on FX and streaming on Hulu. Season one is seven episodes and has been green-lit for season two.
The Old Man is going to be a little tricky to talk about because there are numerous twists and turns. I will try to explain myself as best I can while also not spoiling the show. Yes, I understand the novel is five years old, but I’m sure there’s a fair amount of people who have not read the book yet. I also don’t know how faithful the adaptation is from page to screen.
This show is a showcase in performances. I don’t think it would be as well received if it wasn’t perfectly cast first. Bridges is doing some of the best work of his career in this series. Given where he was recently with his cancer diagnosis (and subsequent remission), for Bridges to do a role as demanding as Dan Chase is nothing short of astonishing. For someone who is 72 years old currently, Bridges looks like he still has some great work in front of him. Kudos to Bridges for the outstanding work as Dan Chase. He portrays the action very well, in addition to handling aspects like conversations with others, or even interacting with his two dogs (who are both adorable as well as ferocious). He interacts extremely well with all the key players of the show, which is hard considering there are so many different people he interacts with in very different ways. It would not surprise me if Bridges gets some awards consideration for this role at the Golden Globes and next year’s Emmys.
One of the joys of The Old Man is watching two titans of performance go toe-to-toe with one another. Bridges rightfully deserves praise for his performance, but Lithgow is also doing phenomenal work. There’s a cat-and-mouse aspect of Lithgow and Bridge’s performance that hinges on their chemistry together. The conversations they have are tense and also just show how great they work together. Lithgow’s Harper is a calculating and cunning character and is a great foil to Bridges’ Chase. I also expect Lithgow will also have consideration for awards when he’s eligible.
As much as I love both Bridges and Lithgow’s performances, Shawkat is the MVP of this series. Bridges and Lithgow both have to carry a lot of weight when it comes to performances, but Shawkat’s character carries a large amount of the emotional weight. She is a wonderful complement to both the leads, and her relationships in the show make her involvement powerful and significant. Her interactions, particularly with Lithgow, raise some great questions about the nature of duty and choice, while also showing why she ended up at the CIA. Once we figure out who she is and what her role in this is, Shawkat proves to be a vital part of the show, both this season and moving forward.
From a story standpoint, The Old Man is about past choices coming back to haunt someone. I have to give praise for the intricacy of the plot, while also conveying certain twists and turns in organic ways. I found the plot fascinating, full of intrigue, and a great mystery while walloping a few huge emotional hits. The final episode of this season is outstanding and left me with my jaw on the floor with that final twist once we realize why Dan is being chased (pun intended).
On the technical side, I really like the action shots and choreography for fight sequences. There’s a limited amount of cuts and edits with the action scenes involving Bridges, which makes the audience feel suffocated and tired watching. Whether it’s hand-to-hand fighting or a gun fight, the scenes are wonderfully shot and the stunt work is fantastic. There are even a few scenes with the dogs that were wonderfully shot. Those dogs are certainly well trained!
The only real thing I can say that might be perceived as a knock on the show is the pacing. The Old Man is seven episodes; however, if the show runners could have locked in some of the scenes a little better, they could have cut out maybe an episode or two to make the series a little more tightly paced. Since they didn’t, there are lulls in action, and it sometimes feels a little off because sometimes nothing happens for extended periods of time. With that being said, I do wish there was also a little more time explored on the backstory. I feel like that will have a more prominent role in season two, but there might be a few times when one feels lost.
The Old Man presents an intriguing story, great action, and performances for the ages. If you want to watch a masterclass in performances from this year, this should be very high on the list. FX is crushing it, and their partnership with Hulu has ushered in a new era where their catalog is arguably the best on TV, minus HBO. Bridges looks refreshed and ready for a second life of his acting career. After what happens in the season finale, I’ll be waiting for what the future has to hold. This is a recommendation for sure.
Score: 8/10
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Loving this series, I can’t disagree with an 8/10, but probably would have put it closer to 9/10, the pacing works for me. The only thing I’d add about the action is that I really love the fight scenes, esp. the hand to hand stuff. It feels ‘real’, no superhero studs exchanging blows that would knock out or kill a real human, but gritty, eye-poking, joint twisting, fighting for air stuff that happens in real fights and struggles to live.