The Old Guard
Synopsis: A group of mercenaries, all centuries-old immortals with the ablity to heal themselves, discover someone is onto their secret, and they must fight to protect their freedom.
Movie Review:
“The Old Guard” was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and is based on the graphic novels of the same name. The director delivers an entertaining action movie that contains characters you can root for and sets up a world that makes you want to see a sequel. This film feels like a fresh take on the superhero genre and I enjoyed that part of it. In my opinion, the action scenes were some of the best I have seen – they were brutal, bloody and intense. Charlize Theron plays Andy the leader of the Old Guard and she is the best thing in the movie. Theron is great in the action scenes and her tragic backstory makes the audience sympathetic towards her. Another standout was Kiki Layne who plays Nile, a new recruit who was a former Marine. It turns out that she is immortal and becomes one of the soldiers that Andy trains. I loved the mother/daughter relationship that forms between Nile and Andy. The supporting roles of Matthias Schoenaerts as Booker, Marwan Kenzari as Joe, and Luca Marinelli as Nicky were all well written characters and added to the story. Chiwetel Ejiofor (I am a huge fan) plays Copley a former C.I.A. turned bad guy, but he was wasted; he just felt like a set up for the sequel if they make one. Another problem I had with the movie was the actual villain Harry Melling who plays Meerick an evil C.E.O. This character seemed silly and disappointing and there was no understanding of his evil plan. I really enjoyed this movie because of the great characters, exciting action scenes, and a wonderful performance by Charlize Theron. I look forward to seeing the next one. I am giving “The Old Guard” a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Director: Gina Prince- Bythewood
Cast:Charlize Theron, Kiki Layne, Mathias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Henry Melling, Ngo Thanh Van and Chiwetel Ejiofor
Runtime:125 minutes