The Company You Keep

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: April 5, 2013

5.8	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 52 Ratings

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CyberghostApr 30, 2013

Run-of-the-mill suspense movie.........with stereotypical characters and a predictable plot twists and turns........the acting and directing is standard....nothing outstandingly good or bad........and all-in-all it will leave you mildly entertained.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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GreatMartinApr 12, 2013

Young people who went through ‘Occupy Wall Street’ should go to see “The Company You Keep” to see how people protested the Vietnam war which had the government killing college students while some of those a little older were members of theYoung people who went through ‘Occupy Wall Street’ should go to see “The Company You Keep” to see how people protested the Vietnam war which had the government killing college students while some of those a little older were members of the Weathermen Underground, a revolutionary group to bring down the U.S. government by robbing banks, blowing up buildings and, in some incidents, killing innocent bystanders. Some members disappeared becoming upstanding members of communities for decades and in recent years some have given themselves up after their children had grown and they still had their guilt.“The Company You Keep” is the story of one woman, Sharon Solarz (Susan Sarandon) surrendering after being wanted for 30 years in connection with a killing at an attempted bank robbery.

By doing this Sharon involves some who were with her in those days and have turned around their lives, all having done quite well. We meet Jim Grant (Robert Redford), a respected lawyer whose wife recently died, leaving him with a 11 year old daughter (Jackie Evancho), who goes on the run to find his former lover Mimi (Julie Christie) who can clear him and is currently running drugs for her new partner Mac (Sam Elliot). We meet Fitzgerald (Nick Nolte) who owns a lumberyard, Jed (Richard Jenkins) who is a university professor, Billy (Stephen Root) a farmer, organic of course, and Daniel (Chris Cooper), Jim’s brother who takes his niece. Last, but certainly not least, is Henry Osborne (Brendan Gleeson) as a police chief who was involved in the case of the bank robbery and the guard who was killed.

Redford brings in younger faces with Ben (Shia LaBeouf) as a reporter who has a a former girlfriend in the FBI, Diana (Anna Kendrick) who supplies him with information about Jim and Rebecca as Osborne’s daughter. There is Diana’s boss, Cornelius (Terrence Howard) who goes on the search for Jim and/or Mimi as Ben tries to get to them first for the ‘big’ story and Ben’s boss Ray Fuller (Stanley Tucci)..

This is a film many young people should go to see to learn the history of their grandparent's generation who were not passive when they knew the government was wrong. They should see how professional, older actors can raise the level of a film and are a presence on the screen. For those of us over 60 it reminds us of what individuals Redford, Christie, Sarandon, Nolte, etc., brought to the screen and still do. Though Redford’s face hasn’t aged too well in screen terms those of us from “The Sting” days will see him as he was then just as looking at Christie the beauty of “Darling” shines through.

The directing by Redford, with the screenplay by Lem Dobbs is pedestrian, though there is a scene with Susan Sarandon in prison, and another between Redford and Christie in a log cabin, that make the film worth seeing along with the performances by the other older actors. He does make a major mistake with the Hollywood ending which, if you have seen any movies, know is coming way before it does.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

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TVJerryMay 3, 2013

After 30 years of respectable living, a member of the Weather Underground (Susan Sarandon) is arrested. This sends another fugitive (Robert Redford) on the run, while a plucky journalist (Shai LaBeouf) tracks the case. This is not a taughtAfter 30 years of respectable living, a member of the Weather Underground (Susan Sarandon) is arrested. This sends another fugitive (Robert Redford) on the run, while a plucky journalist (Shai LaBeouf) tracks the case. This is not a taught chase, but a thoughtful pursuit. It's interesting to watch the solution comes together, but could have been a tighter. The cast is full of accomplished actors (Julie Chistie, Nick Nolte,) who all do a good job. While political messages creep in too often, the pursuit of the man and the truth makes for an absorbing journey.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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survivorfan989May 14, 2013

This was a decent film with some solid acting from the leads but the issue here was I just wasn't interested throughout it. It will probably please older audiences and maybe that shows my age but I just couldn't really get into it despiteThis was a decent film with some solid acting from the leads but the issue here was I just wasn't interested throughout it. It will probably please older audiences and maybe that shows my age but I just couldn't really get into it despite having a rather intriguing premise. Shia LaBeouf does a great job as the intrusive journalist while Robert Redford also does a good job as the fugitive on the run. Overall it will appeal to some but probably not to the younger crowd.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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BrianMcCriticOct 16, 2013

A film this well acted with this much talent should have a little more juice. Overall this film is still decent and deserves a mild recommendation if not just for the talent. B

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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StingwoodFeb 8, 2014

I think this is one of the worst directed movies of 2013. There is to many stars and to many topics to watch and it's not a good think, because you can't focus on storyline. Redford literally defacing great potential of this movie andI think this is one of the worst directed movies of 2013. There is to many stars and to many topics to watch and it's not a good think, because you can't focus on storyline. Redford literally defacing great potential of this movie and eventually I ask myself "What was that?.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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ClariseSamuelsSep 15, 2013

Robert Redford, now 77, directs and stars in this film with a host of famous actors who are now all in their 60’s and 70’s—including Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Chris Cooper, Nick Nolte, Sam Elliott, and Richard Jenkins. The youngster inRobert Redford, now 77, directs and stars in this film with a host of famous actors who are now all in their 60’s and 70’s—including Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Chris Cooper, Nick Nolte, Sam Elliott, and Richard Jenkins. The youngster in the film is Shia LaBeouf, the journalist who is determined to uncover a great story for his small-time Albany newspaper, regardless of ethical considerations.

The plot involves the real-life scenario of young American revolutionaries, or home-grown guerrilla fighters, known as the Weather Underground or the Weathermen, who organized in 1969 to protest the war in Vietnam. But long after the war ended, they continued with their activities up until 1981, when they finally disbanded. In their early days they planted bombs and helped Timothy Leary to escape from jail. They also blew up a bathroom in the Pentagon. No one was ever hurt. An earlier 1970 bombing at a police precinct where a sergeant was killed was eventually linked to the Black Liberation Army, although the Weather Underground was suspected initially.

In 1973 all charges against the Weather Underground were dropped because the Supreme Court barred any evidence that was gathered by electronic surveillance without a court order, which made it difficult to prosecute them. After that, the Weather Underground continued to operate, focusing mostly on Marxist-Leninist ideology with the publication of their manifesto, Prairie Fire, but the organization started to disintegrate in 1977 and finally dissolved in 1981. Because of the ruling in 1973, the top dogs in the organization were taken off the FBI Most Wanted List.

This film invents a scenario that imagines that thirty years later, certain members of the organization are still wanted by the FBI because of a bank robbery where a security guard was killed. The two most guilty parties, Mimi Lurie (Julie Christie) and Susan Solarz (Susan Sarandon) have new identities and have been at large for thirty years. Nick Sloane (Robert Redford) was also implicated, although mistakenly, and he is now an established lawyer, widowed, and living with his 11-year-old daughter under the assumed name Jim Grant. They are living in what looks like 2012, the year of filming, complete with cell phones, Facebook, and Google searches, while they trace their activities back thirty years, which would take us back to 1982, the year after the Weathermen disbanded and long after their most radical activities ceased.

The timeline doesn’t work. But Redford is not concerned with realistic scenarios; he is aiming for a reexamination of ethical values with respect to politicians, journalists, and every responsible citizen. The Wall Street criminals who nearly ruined the planet are not mentioned, but we know they are there, and they should probably turn themselves in along with everyone else.

Redford’s Sloan finds himself on the run again after Susan Solarz is arrested. He was not present at the bank robbery and only one person, his ex-girlfriend Mimi, can clear his name if she is willing to turn herself in. She isn’t, and Sloan has to despair that he will go to jail, and his daughter will have to be raised by relatives. Seeing Redford on the run in his 70’s is a joy to behold because he has retained all the charisma and athleticism of his youth. And seeing Redford and Christie share a scene is worth the entire movie.

We know Redford is a political activist, and this film suits him, but he is perhaps stretching the premise a little too thin. In any case, he can still star in films and be handsome and commanding, truly a feat in itself.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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JLuis_001Sep 6, 2017

The Company You Keep is a small and enjoyable work to some degree, an entertaining and well realized drama of political themes.

Robert Redford eats Shia Labeouf

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