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Too Old to Die Young

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews

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55

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 62 Ratings

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7.5

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7.5	Your Score
7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 62 Ratings

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Too Old To Die Young

Now Playing: Too Old To Die Young

Too Old to Die Young

Series Details & Credits

Prime Video | AMAZON | Release Date: June 14, 2019

Summary: The crime drama co-written by Ed Brubaker and Nicolas Winding Refn follows police officer Martin (Miles Teller) as he investigates the Los Angeles' underworld that includes hit men and assassins associated with the local gangs, Mexican cartel, Russian mafia, and the Yakuza.

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense

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Metascore

55

Positive:

3

Mixed:

3

Negative:

2

Critic Reviews

85

TV Guide

Liam Mathews

Jun 14, 2019

Season 1 Review: In the two episodes screened for critics, we learn almost nothing about Martin, who Teller plays with taciturn menace. Teller is nonetheless riveting. ... Too Old to Die Young is extremely not for everyone, and some people are going to really hate it, while others are going to think it's brilliant. [Prime Video only screened episodes 4 and 5] Read full review

80

RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico

Jun 14, 2019

Season 1 Review: Scenes go on FOREVER, to the point that they either become mesmerizing or stultifying. I fell more on the former side but wouldn’t question anyone who considers this the dullest thing streaming this year. ... All of this means that “Too Old to Die Young” is unlike anything else you’ll see on TV this year. Television is still largely a writer’s medium, and so it’s fascinating to see something that is so clearly and distinctly the product of a director’s unique vision. [Prime Video only screened episodes 4 and 5] Read full review

80

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Dec 4, 2019

Season 1 Review: This is a story about sexual violence and the misogynist spectacle is uncomfortable, although arguably part of the point. It could be that Jena Malone, glimpsed here at any early stage, will have a greater part to play. Too Old To Die Young is macabre, and nauseating in many ways, but very well made and very watchable. Read full review

50

IndieWire Eric Kohn

Jun 14, 2019

Season 1 Review: Viewed as a single unit, the episodes were a mixed bag of self-serious storytelling and pulpy action, with whispery exchanges that drag on for minutes at a time, set against Refn’s standard subterranean vision of an ominous modern-day Los Angeles. [Prime Video only screened episodes 4 and 5] Read full review

40

Rolling Stone

David Fear

Jun 18, 2019

Season 1 Review: [A] limping, baggy megillah, which fails to justify its marathon-length running time as anything more than a self-satisfying, hardboiled-by-numbers folly. Read full review

30

Variety

Daniel D'Addario

Jun 14, 2019

Season 1 Review: Aesthetic is all “Too Old to Die Young” has to boast. ... Jumping in around the series’s midpoint, [Martin Jones' (Miles Teller)] decisions and relationships seemed random, emphasizing the degree to which the show’s bits of mythologizing and its gratuitousness spring from the clear blue sky. [Prime Video only screened episodes 4 and 5] Read full review

30

The Hollywood Reporter

David Rooney

Jun 14, 2019

Season 1 Review: Stylishly crafted but stultifyingly dull. ... Jesus had better be some kind of savior if Too Old to Die Young is going to be more than just a ponderously portentous sleazefest shaken out of its torpor by the occasional bloodbath. [Prime Video only screened episodes 4 and 5] Read full review

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7.5

User Reviews

10

Westside

Jun 16, 2019

Unlike anything else. Refreshing that something unique and outside the box of streaming or tv is around.

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

10

StreamerLA

Jun 16, 2019

Overall, sensational series. The Mexican storylines and characters were unlike any I’ve seen before and defy expectations. The most stunning visuals you will see all year in film or television. Bravo.

6 of 8 users found this helpful62

10

MohammedFurqaan

Jun 14, 2019

The direction and acting of this show is exceptional. All the actors have put a hard work into this. Although it goes a bit slow and a bit too slow for some people, the show is worth a watch as it explores different interesting characters. The frames are beautiful and continuous. NWR triesThe direction and acting of this show is exceptional. All the actors have put a hard work into this. Although it goes a bit slow and a bit too slow for some people, the show is worth a watch as it explores different interesting characters. The frames are beautiful and continuous. NWR tries to take things in the show at real life speed in trying to depict the true flow and intensity of events. The writing is smart in connecting everything and keeping it interesting. A praiseworthy show depicting gore and violence in art and style.… Expand

8 of 10 users found this helpful82

8

Bertaut1

Jul 1, 2021

I loved it, but this is the definition of "not for everyone"

Created by Nicolas Winding Refn and Ed Brubaker, and directed by Refn, Too Old To Die Young is Refn sans restrictions. If you thought Only God Forgives was slow and plodding, all style and no substance, and pretentiouslyI loved it, but this is the definition of "not for everyone"

Created by Nicolas Winding Refn and Ed Brubaker, and directed by Refn, Too Old To Die Young is Refn sans restrictions. If you thought Only God Forgives was slow and plodding, all style and no substance, and pretentiously self-indulgent, then TOTDY is not for you. Running for 13 hours across the course of 10 episodes, Refn regards it as "a 13-hour movie" and insists that it is not a television show. Either way, I loved it. The aesthetic is exceptional, the quirks are pure surrealism, the humour is spot on, the violence (particularly the sexual violence) is sudden and barbaric, but never gratuitous or pointless, and the themes are fascinating. This isn't going to turn a single person into a Refn fan. Indeed, it will probably alienate some of his more casual fans, as it tests the limits of what even the most artistically open-minded viewer will watch on their television screens. That said, if you're on-board, you're in for an unforgettable ride.

Martin Jones (Miles Teller) and his partner Larry (Lance Gross) are two uniformed LA cops on patrol. After sexually harassing and extorting a young woman because he can, Larry is taking a selfie for his mistress, when Jesus Rojas (an exceptional Augusto Aguilera) shoots him in the back of the head. And from that opening scene springs the story, which introduces us to local crime boss Damian (Babs Olusanmokun), Martin's 18-year-old girlfriend Janey (Nell Tiger Free), her billionaire father Theo (a completely insane William Baldwin), former FBI agent Viggo Larsen (John Hawkes), his associate Diana (Jena Malone), and Yaritza (a stunning, scene-stealing Cristina Rodlo), a young woman with a penchant for sexual domination who claims to be the High Priestess of Death.

The most obvious aesthetic elements of the show are the cinematography by Darius Khondji and Diego García and the editing by Matthew Newman. The first episode, and several of the later episodes, are bathed in neon, with vibrant reds, purples, oranges, blues, and greens saturating the screen. The second episode then is set in Mexico and is a complete contrast to the first, almost over-exposed, with whites popping and bleeding into any nearby blacks.

Additionally, every shot feels deliberate, meticulously composed, important, like every element of the composition is saying something of significance; for example, whether the camera moves or not offers a commentary on the content of the scene. And scenes go on for a loooooong time; most run at least two beats beyond where the natural end would seem to be, with long silences and languidly-paced, emotionlessly delivered dialogue. This all creates a sense of extreme awkwardness that makes the viewer restless and uncomfortable, which, of course, is precisely the point. This lethargic sense is helped immensely by the editing, which is almost imperceptible. It feels like the show was edited before it was shot; every cut feels measured, happening where it does because that's the only place it could happen. I'd be shocked to learn that a lot of coverage was shot to be assembled in the editing room later; it's too tight for that. Coupled with this, the sound design by Paul Hackner is unique. For interiors, there is often no ambient room noise and because there are such long pauses in the dialogue, the silence is oppressive. It has the effect of suggesting the characters aren't in the room, making it feel almost ethereal and hypnotic.

And what is all of this in service of? What is Refn saying? The main theme is very straightforward – toxic masculinity and the commodification of the female, in particular the sexual commodification. TOTDY is a show wherein many of the female characters are looked upon by men as objects to be used rather than as people with their own agency. In one particular scene, a porn director washes down a young woman with a hose, the way one might wash down a horse after a race. When the show begins, it seems to commit the same sin, as none of the females have much in the way of vibrancy, and all are defined based upon their relationships with men. It's only as the characters of Diana, Janey, and Yaritza assume centre stage that we realise this isn't a show about men. Paedophiles, racists, misogynists, murderers, people traffickers, a father who unashamedly hints at incest – it's quite a collective of male bottom feeders to pitch against the female characters.

All in all, I loved the show. But there's no denying that the very things which some people embrace and celebrate, will drive others up the wall. And certainly, it's not hard to imagine a hell of a lot of people watching for 20 minutes before hastily changing the channel and deeming the whole enterprise the "worst show ever." Amazon has allowed Refn to indulge in everything that his detractors criticise and his fans laud, and the result is either a travesty or masterpiece, depending on your perspective.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

7

GrantD243

Aug 26, 2019

The cinematography is absolutely incredible in this show. Almost every shot is a work of art. But that's what we've come to expect from Refn. His problem has never been visuals, it has been story, and the story of Too Old to Die Young is what I felt lukewarm about. I enjoyed the story ofThe cinematography is absolutely incredible in this show. Almost every shot is a work of art. But that's what we've come to expect from Refn. His problem has never been visuals, it has been story, and the story of Too Old to Die Young is what I felt lukewarm about. I enjoyed the story of Miles Tellers' character very much, but the Mexican cartel story never really delivered considering how much screen time it was given. I think that placing the focus on Jesus and Yaritza was a mistake. I still enjoyed the season as a whole, but it could have been so much better.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

6

oldthompsonjack

Jul 6, 2019

Like many Nicolas Winding Refn projects, this series will try many viewers patience. It is often excruciatingly slowly paced, which at times can draw you in to the enchanting aesthetic he has created, but at other times is simply off-putting.

Overall, this series has a fairly interestingLike many Nicolas Winding Refn projects, this series will try many viewers patience. It is often excruciatingly slowly paced, which at times can draw you in to the enchanting aesthetic he has created, but at other times is simply off-putting.

Overall, this series has a fairly interesting storyline and is consistently beautiful, but is definitely aimed at a specific audience. I imagine most general viewers would absolutely hate it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

0

deck

Feb 19, 2020

when someone picks up a scene with the camera for 20 seconds in which nothing happens.
the character only answers yes to a question. then you realize how much your time is worth and how **** is sold as art.

0 of 5 users found this helpful05

SEE ALL 18 REVIEWS

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Seasons & Episodes

55

Series Overview
Season 1

55
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: June 14, 2019
- No episode information is currently available for this season