Old Man

I was completely unaware of this movie. But it was mainly the handsome poster that made me curious about the story. So I set it up totally without a trailer or any prior knowledge.

The film starts in a hut and that is where it takes place for 90%.

You quickly get the feeling that you are not watching a movie, but a play.

Stephen Lang's acting is very clever and believable. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Marc Senter (who also co-produces this film).

As for the story, it is very easy to guess what is actually going on and the "twist" can't really be called a twist.

It feels like a missed opportunity, unfortunately.

5/10 for Stephen Lang's acting performance.

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.

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 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.

This gives the term "blow burner" a new meaning. I can absolutely understand if the average moviegoer won't appreciate Old Man, but I enjoyed it. It's just a handful of actors, with Stephen Lang as the main character, who plays an old, partially drunk man who lives alone in the woods. The visitor is a young and a little too polite man who is rather creepy. There is a twist at the end that I didn't really appreciate, but all in all this is an intense low budget thriller and Stephen Lang is great as always. The film is reminiscent of Don't Breathe where Lang plays kind of the same character as in this one. But don't waste your time. This is definitely not a movie for everyone. But if you like some weird and mysterious psychological thrillers/dramas, this is a good pick.