The Company You Keep
By Sean Lynch
It's been a long time between drinks for Hollywood great Robert Redford, the last being 2007's little seen Lions For Lamb, a legendary hearth throb who is to Brad Pitt what Ryan Gossling is to George Clooney. So he's decided to come back in a big way with a directorial / starring effort in The Company You Keep.
This slow burning film follows Jim Grant (Redford) who, as far as we know, is a public interest lawyer and a loving single father who is busily raising his daughter in the peaceful suburbs of Albany. However, it isn't long until we discover there is more to Grant's idyllic life than we first thought when impulsive young news paper reporter (do they even exist any more?) exposes Grant's true identity as a former 1970s antiwar radical.
Yep, it turns out he'd been leading a double life and was, in actual fact, a fugitive wanted for murder.
So, after living safely for more than thirty years underground, Grant must now go on the run as he attempts to clear his name.
The Company You Keep is essentially a dramtic twist of the 2010 popcorn action movie Red, a bunch Hollywood of old timers who still possess some pretty damn fine acting chops who simply haven't been given the chance to show their wares. The problem with that is that Company spends far too much time trying to give every actor a chance to bulk up their show-reel, but due to the complete lack of humour (which Red thrived on), the end result is little more than a long winded, scenery chewing, melodramatic bore.
That said, there are some excellent performances floating around here. Shia LaBeouf makes a welcome return to cinemas - he really is one of the most charismatic, likeable young actors of our generation - as is Redford, Stanley Tucci and Brendan Gleeson. Meanwhile, folks like Julie Christie and Terrence Howard are working with characters and dialogue so bare bones and uninspired they almost bring the entire ship down with their vain, ham fisted attempts to bring it to life.
There's a decent movie in here somewhere, but sadly, The Company You Keep never delivers the tension or the stakes for audiences to ever feel truly invested.
A missed opportunity.
3 out of 5
The Company You Keep
Australian release: 18th April, 2013
Cast: Robert Redford, Shia LaBeouf, Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, Terrence Howard, Stanley Tucci, Anna Kendrick
Director: Robert Redford
