The Old Man

Based on the first four episodes that were given to critics, it’s too early to tell if The Old Man will be the indisputable masterpiece is promises to be. Regardless, one thing is clear: FX has something special on its hands.

The Old Man is thrilling more often than not, and it's anchored by tremendous lead performances that make it a worthwhile watch for anyone who needs a true adult political thriller in their life.

It is a show that never rests on its laurels, confronting and confounding in equal measure. While it is a little rough around the edges, much like Bridges himself, it still never lacks a sharp sense of tact and tension that transcends beyond any constrictions.

What might have just been a straightforward action show is elevated by canny pacing and a strong cast. Bridges is handed the chewiest material (and all the action), but Lithgow and Shawkat are right there with him.

This is a bold, wise series, with a knockout performance from Bridges leading the way.

It’s more than up to the challenge it establishes for itself, generating immediate intrigue and engagement through Bridges’ performance as a seventysomething with a skill set that would make James Bond blush.

The performances are all impeccable, from the main players to the well-furnished minor ones (Grey in what amounts to a cameo, and when we get a glimpse of Harper’s wife, the great Jessica Harper). But it’s Bridges’ show. When the story leaves him for too long, you itch for his return.

The seriousness of the show’s approach to Chase, and Bridges’s excellence in the role, are what set “The Old Man” apart, but it’s also (through Week 4) a well-above-average if unusually pensive and introspective spy thriller. ... The episodes have texture and an unforced urgency. As a bonus there’s John Lithgow, who gives an expertly entertaining performance as Chase’s primary nemesis.

With danger always lurking, Bridges convinces us that underestimating this well-seasoned spy has deadly consequences, while the terrific Brenneman startles us by refusing to play the damsel in distress. [13 Jun - 3 Jul 2022, p.4]

The result is an engaging and sometimes thrilling two-hander.

The spy genre is so well worn one would think there's not much new to be done, but The Old Man largely confounds those expectations, thanks to the stellar combination of Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow.

The characters in “The Old Man” often speak in monologues, some of which achieve a rough poetry, while others have the unfortunate effect of stopping the narrative in its tracks. But when survival becomes the focus, the series doesn’t mess around.

The Old Man, like an old man, is best when it ambles with a contemplative pace.

Even when The Old Man’s writing doesn’t always live up to Bridges and Lithgow’s immense talents, the actors don’t have any trouble making the material feel believable and incredibly lived-in.

Despite having to wrestle with some boilerplate spy-thriller tropes from time to time, the show around it (and the strength of its players) is more than enough to make up for a little repetition.

It’s the tending to his deeper wounds: familial, romantic and professional, however, that make The Old Man not just highly watchable but truly memorable.

As a thriller, The Old Man doesn’t always deliver. Its internal logic is fitful and its backstory perfunctory. As a showcase for Bridges and John Lithgow, the rare performer nearly able to match his co-star indelible role for indelible role, The Old Man is far more satisfying, though audiences are going to yearn for more direct interaction between the two note-perfect leads and less of the genre filler that extends three of the four episodes sent to critics to over an hour.

When Chase is dispatching his enemies, or sparring (verbally) with Zoe, The Old Man is a lot of fun.

Chunks of plot are bluntly stated in long stretches of dialogue, but Watts does earn our attention with carefully blocked action. ... With his loyal dogs affixed to his side, the FX action-drama expects its audiences to follow suit, lapping up Dan’s final, stubborn, show of force. If that’s fine by you, then sit back and enjoy one more swan song. It won’t be the last of its kind.

We get some incredibly high-level action and hand-to-hand fight sequence (the first two episodes are helmed by Jon Watts, who directed the last three “Spider-Man” movies), and the expected strong performances from Bridges, Lithgow, et al., but the pace is sometimes excruciatingly slow, the flashback sequences have a kind of B-movie vibe, and there are simply too many times when these really smart characters do some really dumb things, just to keep the wheels of the plot in motion.

Future episodes fill in the backstory, with actors playing the two leads as their younger selves. They also brighten things up a bit, because most of episode one seems to take place in the dark. It is based on a thriller by Thomas Perry and the flashbacks aren’t half as good as the present day stuff, mostly because Bridges elevates the material.

The Old Man breaks no rules of the action genre other than a hero of an unlikely age, but plays by them dutifully enough that it’s occasionally gripping, frequently interesting, and never less than watchable.

Harold’s ambivalence about capturing his old cohort adds pathos to the beautifully shot show’s many imaginative action scenes. ... As exciting as The Old Man generally is in the four episodes provided for review (out of seven total), it’s also too sloppy to be a great political thriller. There are plot twists that create plot holes big enough to pilot a C-5 through.

It offers exactly what the poster promises, in two excellent performances from Bridges and Lithgow (plus strong supporting ones from Amy Brenneman, Alia Shawkat, and Gbenga Akinnagbe), and offers a bonus in some gripping close-quarters combat sequences. But the story itself feels like an afterthought, and the energy level tends to droop whenever Bridges is not getting his homicide on.

The actors do their best to sell it all. ... But the show is too breathless by half in making sure you know how and why he’s feeling low; it’s at its best, oddly enough, when Chase slows down.