The Old Guard Parent Guide

The Old Guard is an adaptation of a comic book of the same name by Greg Rucka, who also wrote the film, and boy does it ever show. I’m not ripping on comic books as a medium, because they can be an interesting vehicle for complex ideas, but the dialogue in this film is so stereotypically stilted and over-the-top that it puts a lot of superhero movies to shame. Which is too bad, because the film also addresses the stress and tragedy that accompanies immortality in some really interesting ways – you’ve just got to muddle through some corny dialogue to get there.

The other attribute that comes with a comic book provenance is big action set pieces. This is first and foremost an action film, and the stunt choreography is extensive. Charlize Theron shines as usual and is clearly doing a good deal of her own stunt work. Unfortunately, the cinematography is mediocre at best, and could have been much better used to enhance the action. In a few cases, the editing does little more than confuse what’s happening.

The Old Guard is well suited to teenagers looking for some big dumb fun. The “R” rating is mostly for language and violence, but if we’re being honest, the violence you can get away with in a PG-13 has been increasing, and if this film had cut back on the f-bombs a little, it probably could have snuck in at the lower rating. There is no sexual content to slow up the action, which is appreciated. Nothing sucks the fun out of watching an action movie with your family like prolonged nudity.

Despite an interesting premise and some thoughtful character work, this is another example of a cast in search of a better script. Charlize Theron and Chiwetel Ejiofor are big name, hard-hitting talent, and they do an excellent job with the script and direction they’re given. I would love to see them paired up in something more carefully done. As for this production…well, at least as far as Netflix action movies are concerned (see The Last Days of American Crime and Extraction), this is probably the best of a bad lot. Besides, even I have a soft spot for a dumb action movie sometimes. Just make sure you’re in the mood to embrace the stupid before you click “Play”.