If you’re in the mood for a light-hearted heist movie, with some favourite old actors, this one might be for you.Long-term friends Joe (Michael Caine), Willie (Morgan Freeman), and Albert (Alan Arkin) are struggling to make ends meet in retirement. Their pension has been cut off by their employer, the bank is threatening to take Joe’s house and Willie’s health is failing. When Joe is caught up in a bank robbery where the thieves make off with millions in cash, he realises perhaps there’s a way to make ends meet.
It’s fun. Watching these three actors, as well as Christopher Lloyd, is entertaining and they play up the age-jokes well. At the same time, it highlights the reality of poverty and isolation in old age. It’s set up to convince you that the banks and the big companies are the bad guys. These men did their time, served their jobs and have little to show for it in the end. It’s not highly realistic, one assumes that in the real world they would be caught quite easily, but that’s the fun of the movies. While of course we don’t condone robbery, it’s easy to be caught up in the justifiability of the premise and the underlying message sticks - we should look after the aged better.
There is little violence, only a few swear words, mild drug usage and a little romance along the way. Directed by Zach Braff, it's an entertaining spin on the heist genre.
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