Old Man

Single-setting thrillers are kind of my jam. They're cheap to make and often end up being some of the most entertaining movies because they demand a strong script to carry them. 'Old Man' didn't quite work for me sadly. There was an idea here that could've been pulled off if executed differently.

The main problem stems from the characters. There are only really two of them of note in the film. One is characterless because of the way he is set up. He adds some mystery to the proceedings but otherwise he is just clueless and going along for the ride. The other character is a crazy old man who rambles on about nothing for minutes on end. Those two don't equal a particularly enjoyable 97 minutes of viewing.

The thing the film has going for it is the intrigue over what exactly is going on. There were a few routes the film could've gone down at the end, so if anyone is saying this one is predictable I would take umbrage with that. Unfortunately though the whole experience is very forgettable and not one I'd recommend. 5.5/10.

This movie captured my attention from the start. Right away I started asking questions about what was happening and why. The old man, who is played by Stephen Lang, was an enigma and I wanted to know more about him and who Raskel was. Not long after the start of the story another man shows up at the old man's door claiming to be lost and in need of help, but the old man is paranoid and scares the heck out of him. The two characters get to know each other for most of the movie and the whole time I'm mesmerized and thinking that one of the two characters is going to kill the other, but which one? During that time I was really enjoying the movie, enough to give it a 8 or maybe a 9 out of 10, but then the big reveal happened and I didn't really like what happened. It brought my rating down to a 7. I thought the story was told very well. I thought the acting was really good. I liked pretty much everything about the production, direction, writing, sound, basically all the technical aspect of the movie were done really well, but that ending just wasn't satisfying at all. I would still recommend that people give this movie a watch, if not just for the story being told so well, but also because Stephen Lang is so captivating to watch in this movie.

Being a subtle fan of Lucky Mcgee, I envisioned something very different, as I was walking in knowing very little and also avoided trailers.

It's presented like a play. In other words, a one room, mostly 2 person venture. No real surprises but it has somewhat of a payoff that some might see coming, as I did, heading into the third act.

With that said, it's glacially slow at times---but I felt the dialogue was the glue that helped the weakish script hold up and may also have helped with the ending as well.

Violence and horror are pretty much surprisingly subdued---was more of a thriller in my opinion. Stephen Lang absolutely delivers the good as does Mcgee's intent---it just may be overlooked by some that get frustrated with the pacing.

6/10.

This movie starts promising: An interesting setting and enigmatic characters let you hope for a 90 min play full of twisted dialogues and psychologically complex interaction, maybe warfare even. In a few moments, it skillfully achieves to build up an atmosphere of subtle, lovecraftian horror -- but only to tear it down a few seconds later with meaningless, down-to-earth dialogues. In general, this movie looses momentum very fast and makes you wish it would only run 30 min tops. It boils down to its ending and so it would have been a perfect fit for "Alfred Hitchcock presents". I recommend this for fans of Stephen Lang and die hard mystery movie lovers only.

Lucky McKee ("May", "Red", "The Woman") and Stephen Lang ("Don't Breathe", "VFW") were two, big, bold horror reasons to check the "Old man" out, while knowing it's most likely a risky low-budget adventure, and sadly not exactly in the horror genre. Well, Lang delivered, McKee too, but writer Joel Veach succeeded only halfway in this dialogue-based, one-room (cabin) character mystery, which feels like a seriously overlong "Twilight zone" episode.

An Old man of questionable mental state and with the strong smell of mystery, played by veteran actor Stephen Lang, awakens in his remote, isolated one-room-has-it-all forest cabin, and goes about his day, before the unexpected arrival of a lost hiker. Neither of them could imagine what the late night conversations will lead into... "Old Man" is 90% dialogue and 100% never leaving the room, so if you're a fan of such genre characteristics, this one might intrigue you. The movie leans on, no, hinges on the performance of Stephen Lang, embodying an erratic, unpredictable, funky old guy with a double barrel. And he does deliver an entertaining show, with the script he's carrying never being entirely unengaging. However, the twist finale can be seen long before the talks are over, and for a thriller, the pacing is certainly not very thrillsy. It takes a bit of time, delusion and paranoia, before the story takes its intended direction. In terms of violence and disturbing material reminiscent of other works by Lucky McKee, there is almost none. There is a portion of grittiness, but don't expect any horror shades really. Besides Lang there is Marc Senter in the clothes of the lost hiker, and I'm not sure if it was the acting or the little-too-oblivious character, but he rubbed me wrong at times. It is Lang's show all over. Despite the very limited space and setting, cinematography proves to know how to utilize it, and McKee summons an overall atmosphere, aesthetic and psychological, that works, but like only half-powered.

Though I won't talk about the mystery itself, I'll say it's nothing new... It's not a bad vision, but can't describe "Old Man" as original. However, If you're a fan of Stephen Lang and/or one-room movies, I recommend. My rating: 5/10.