El maestro del crimen

Yes, the movie follows a familiar formula, one of those films where you find yourself thinking, I've seen so many like this. I agree that it doesn't break new ground or brining something new and similar other movies exist, but there's a catch.

Despite its simplicity, the movie is enjoyable. At the end of the day, it serves its purpose well, that is entertainment.

What makes it stand out? The exceptional acting skills of Christoph Waltz. His performance adds an extra flavour to the old recipe, making it better the film above many others currently being released.

A good popcorn watch, so just do.

Danny Dolinski (Christoph Waltz) is a veteran hitman working for the London mob. He is recovering from hand surgery on his gun hand and expects to return to be the prime assassin. Instead, the organization is going younger and he is to mentor young hitman Wihlborg (Cooper Hoffman). Anata (Lucy Liu) is his longtime friend and nightclub manager.

This is trying to be a comedic crime thriller. I get the concept and it has the potential to work with better writing. Waltz is trying to do some comedy. I don't think that the younger Hoffman is up to the task. Lucy Liu doesn't have much to do. This is rather blah.

... stuff! I had a typo the first time I wrote this ... it typed stiff ... which I guess would be a pun ... but even more unintended than the one in the summary headline. Just saying. But back to the movie - with Waltz ... we have to thank Tarantino for finding this amazing actor. Or rather bringing him to the spotlight.

He may not be ... Nobody - (yes I am referencing the Bob Odenkirk movie), but this is still silly and fun enough. The action is decent ... again not close to the other movie ... just don't compare those. And enjoy this movie for what it is ... a Waltz(er) ... of a movie!

Old Guy is a comedic reworking of The Mechanic, the 1970s thriller that starred Charles Bronson.

Christoph Waltz is the ageing hitman Danny Dolinski. He still goes clubbing but has an arthritic hand. It means he cannot shoot straight.

His shadowy bosses are modernising. Out go the old timers. In come the young whippersnappers.

Danny has to train the Gen Z new blood, Wihlborg (Cooper Hoffman) who is still wet behind the ears and needs to learn the craft of being a hitman.

They are tasked to kill an Irish mobster, but the job goes south. Now they are the target.

This is a generic comedy thriller that has been done to death in the last few years. The screenplay is anaemic. It wastes the talented cast which includes Lucy Liu who really does not have much to do.

The only interesting thing about this movie is the sheer number of people with producer credits.

It feels like either the movie was horribly cut, or whoever wrote dialogues and script was plain wasted. Or both. The pauses between phrases are too long, the dialogues end abruptly, the scenes pacing is way off, there's little reason to what's happening, there's no connection between characters - they just utter phrases for (seemingly) the sake of it.

The main character made look not only lacking wrist strength and mobility due to surgery, but lacking any sort of mobility and agility like he's ninety-plus already. The secondary main younger character is plain insufferable. And it's nothing about the actors, it's how the movie is made - I've no recollection of seeing the actor who plays the younger character, but I've plenty of recollections of seeing Lucy Liu and Christoph Waltz, and as great as they are, their characters look just as abysmal here. So it's definitely not an acting issue.

It's just... wasteful. Decent premise, even if not anything new. Great cast. Good potential. All wasted. Sad.