Too Old to Die Young
Prime Video | AMAZON | Release Date: June 14, 2019
7.5
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 62 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
44
Mixed:
8
Negative:
10
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
10
echoaplhaechoJul 7, 2019
I don't know what to write here, my words won't do this justice; this was f'ing amazing.
3 of 3 users found this helpful30
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10
MohammedFurqaanJun 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 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
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10
paulovegajrJun 24, 2019
When I thought "Chernobyl" was the series of the year 2019, "Too Old to Die Young" was released and, then, there was a tie.
4 of 5 users found this helpful41
All this user's reviews
10
TelevisioJun 17, 2019
Pretty spectacular. I’m reading a lot about the pacing issues but I feel like the pacing is almost an invisible character in the show. It’s like the ultimate voyeur. I’m pretty sure television or whatever you want to call this has neverPretty spectacular. I’m reading a lot about the pacing issues but I feel like the pacing is almost an invisible character in the show. It’s like the ultimate voyeur. I’m pretty sure television or whatever you want to call this has never looked better.… Expand
7 of 9 users found this helpful72
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10
StreamerLAJun 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
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10
WestsideJun 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
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10
tvguy79Jun 16, 2019
I’ve only watched half the season so far but this feels certain to qualify as one of the best series (or movies even) of the year. Nicolas Winding Refn is pretty incredible. Please make another show! Or season two (but think this is a limited??)
3 of 5 users found this helpful32
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0
NONODontdothatJun 17, 2019
Style over substance is an argument worth making- style in place of substance is a train wreck. Add pretension, vile subject matter, and multi-minute panning shots to nowhere, and you have the latest neon lit, stoic non-acting, debaucherousStyle over substance is an argument worth making- style in place of substance is a train wreck. Add pretension, vile subject matter, and multi-minute panning shots to nowhere, and you have the latest neon lit, stoic non-acting, debaucherous excretion from the abscess inside NWR's brain. If that's your thing, congrats, otherwise bring popcorn, a swivel chair, and a good book.… Expand
4 of 15 users found this helpful411
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0
deckFeb 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
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3
manicureNov 22, 2020
I know it feels terrible to have been wasted 13 precious hours of your life on this, but I can’t believe there are actually people defending this show. It felt just like yet another provocation from NWR. Most episodes are almost 90 minutesI know it feels terrible to have been wasted 13 precious hours of your life on this, but I can’t believe there are actually people defending this show. It felt just like yet another provocation from NWR. Most episodes are almost 90 minutes long, yet they have 15 minutes worth of footage. The rest is long silences, static shots with slow pullbacks, endless dollies across the landscapes as people walk around, have semi-disjointed conversations, **** drive, eat pie, masturbate or kill someone we don’t even know. The photography is gorgeous as usual, but as it always looks kind of the same, you get tired of it pretty fast. Sometimes shots are so dark and saturated that I couldn’t understand what was going on. There is a lot of gruesome violence, but as with the rest, habituation kicks in pretty fast.

I guess that at least up to a certain point the “plot” was alright, even though there is no narrative structure whatsoever. It’s like cinematic diarrhea: what comes out comes out, in no particular order. There are two main storylines happening simultaneously, but instead of alternating scenes from each character as most TV shows, Refn had this insane idea of dedicating full episodes to either storyline and amplify this awful sense of having been spent hours to get nowhere (remember, each episode is as long as a feature film and less content than a Youtube prank video). It gets a little better after the first couple of episodes, mainly due to the consistently hypnotic atmosphere that sucks you in, and especially that one absurd scene in each episode that wakes you up from the nihilist numbness, the most memorable ones being: 1) A random Korean dude goes to borrow money from the Japanese mafia and gets his finger chipped off with a katana by Hideo Kojima: 2) A guy’s severed hands left in the middle of the room as we listen to reggae; 3) William Baldwin making tiger noises and masturbating in his own movie theater: 4) The bad guys unable to find the right song to listen on the radio during a car chase; 5) The fascist police department performing the Passion of Christ with a broom and the Eucharist with potato chips.

By the way, even though a few characters’ arcs got inevitably closed, there is no ending and there won’t be a second season. Too bad because I was at least looking forward to seeing everyone die.… Expand
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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6
JLuis_001Feb 29, 2020
As has been happening to Refn since Only God Forgives, he's sacrificing style for substance and Too Old to Die Young is his most ambitious effort to date in that regard, but ambitious doesn't mean that it's actually good.

The problems ofAs has been happening to Refn since Only God Forgives, he's sacrificing style for substance and Too Old to Die Young is his most ambitious effort to date in that regard, but ambitious doesn't mean that it's actually good.

The problems of this miniseries are not its themes, not even its violence, the problems lie in the way in which Refn decides to tell the story and the duration has a lot to do with it and this is because it's a long time in which nothing happens.

The first two episodes are lethargic and between the two of them are just over 3 hours. I was honestly tempted not to continue, but the series improves and becomes a bit more stimulating after episode 4.

The miniseries is also confusing and never tries to give explanations, what happens on screen until the ending relies on you to make sense of it and frankly if you're part of the audiences that needs answers, then I must say this will only disappoint you.

At least I give Refn credit and half an extra star for making a television product - although I know it' streaming - which is nothing like what exists on TV.
I think that only HBO would've dared to do something like that and part of me doubts it, and that's why Refn deserves recognition but if he honestly tries again something similar, I hope he's more concise and less pretentious.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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9
Praseidimio666Mar 9, 2021
Breaking any standard for TV shows, TOTDY is a charming sensual experience closer to arthouse cinema. it is indeed not for everyone, the mood is slow and anemic with occasional intense and often violent bursts. Cannot really compare it to anyBreaking any standard for TV shows, TOTDY is a charming sensual experience closer to arthouse cinema. it is indeed not for everyone, the mood is slow and anemic with occasional intense and often violent bursts. Cannot really compare it to any other crime/drama, Twin Peaks aside.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
GrantD243Aug 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 whatThe 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
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8
Bertaut1Jul 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, allI 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
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6
oldthompsonjackJul 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 simplyLike 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
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10
kretasDec 22, 2020
You know that feeling that you already can imagine the ending?
well not with this, Too old to die young is a odd journey and still after watching it a year ago.
I can still remember so many scenes and moments from the episodes, which makesYou know that feeling that you already can imagine the ending?
well not with this, Too old to die young is a odd journey and still after watching it a year ago.
I can still remember so many scenes and moments from the episodes, which makes this so special.
Since I tend to forgot a lot while binge watching series normaly.
10/10… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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8
rickdonnieJun 27, 2020
Refn's works are always divisive. Since his debuts with the Pusher trilogy and Bleeder, until his last feature, The Neon Demon. But since Drive, or Valhalla Rising, his works changed. More colors, less dialogues, and still so much violence.Refn's works are always divisive. Since his debuts with the Pusher trilogy and Bleeder, until his last feature, The Neon Demon. But since Drive, or Valhalla Rising, his works changed. More colors, less dialogues, and still so much violence. And I personally like it a lot. Only God Forgives was a giant slap in the face when I saw it in theater back in the days in 2013. So I knew what to expect with Too Old to Die Young. Something slow, very violent, with not much dialogues. In fact, in a way, something like Twin Peaks The Return. The chance to see an author making exactly what he wants, with full creative freedom. And that's exactly what I got.
I loved episodes 1 to 8. The pacing is slow but hypnotizing. Directing and cinematography are beyond amazing and gorgeous. Actors are great. Violence is much there, but sometimes, you wait for it, for a long time, so it can surprise you and leaves an impact. The soundtrack from Cliff Martinez is once again a masterpiece, getting better each time he works with Refn, since Drive.
But I really hated the 2 last episodes. Episode 9 still had a few nice ideas here and there, and Jena Malone and John Hawkes are two actors that I really like and want to see more. But episode 10, didn't get the point. Too short, too different, only 3 or 4 long scenes and the it has no real payoff. Still, I would love the possibility to own it in Blu-Ray. One day maybe, if someone release it that way.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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0
moth3Jan 1, 2023
What a waste of time. Ridiculous script, direction and acting. A lose-lose all around.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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