Review of Stand Up Guys (2012) by The D — 18 Jun 2013

Purely to have Pacino & Walken sharing some serious screen time together makes "Guys" all worth the while. Yes it's not brilliantly scripted but the two stalwarts of mob movies don't necassarily need it as a lot is in the body language between the two so that words aren't always needed.

Val(Pacino) is just out of prison after nearly thirty years Doc(Walken) picks him up. After some lighter comic moments involving viagra and some hookers matters turn to the more serious elements of both their past and what's to come that very night. As they reminisce about their former glories it's clear one of them has some awkward business to take care of.

Events are really livened up when they "rescue" Hirsch(Arkin) from his retirement home and they steal some undesirables hot car and go joyriding. Arkin is delightfully brash and over the top as the former wheelman.

Mostly thought it's about Pacino & Walken as the night progresses into morning, they talk, they party but ultimately it's about what's to come so itt comes to one of those quite likeable ambiguous endings.

It's all about the players here, it's a decent enough storyline in it's "last hurrah" not that original but it's all in the mix.