Review of The Company You Keep (2012) by Matt L — 02 Jun 2013

For the better part of 50 years, Robert Redford has had a hand in the overall direction of Hollywood. Speaking of direction, Redford is not only one of the most well-known and respected actors in the business, he's also spent half of his career producing and directing. He's an absolute master of his craft, starring in some of the best Hollywood dramas to date, including All the President's Men, The Natural, and Out of Africa. However, even though Redford has long been an established, respected actor, he has earned the majority of his critical acclaimed through directing. Previously, he has been nominated for several prestigious directing awards for his work on such films as Quiz Show, A River Runs Through It, and The Horse Whisperer - while taking home an Academy Award for Best Director for Ordinary People. Redford is once again behind the camera, as well as in front of the camera in the new thriller, The Company You Keep.

Directed by Robert Redford, The Company You Keep also stars Redford as Jim Grant, a wanted fugitive and former member of a left wing radical group that robbed a Michigan bank and killed a security guard in 1980. More than 30 years later, Grant lives in the state of New York working as a low profile lawyer and is raising his young daughter - until one of his radical associates, Sharon Solarz (Susan Sarandon) is arrested. After an abundance of digging and asking questions in regards to the Michigan robbery, a news reporter, Ben Shepard (Shia LaBeouf), uncovers Grant's true identity and forces him to flee New York. With Grant on the run and Shepard in search of a story, both men are on a quest for information - all of which involves past secrets and the still "at large" members of the Michigan bank robbery. Terrence Howard, Julie Christie, Nick Nolte, and Anna Kendrick also star in supporting roles.

Initially, it's a bit difficult to figure out where the film's plot is taking you. Is this going to turn into another rendition of The Fugitive? Well, yes and no. The Fugitive actually treats "the fugitive" like a fugitive (with constant pursuit), while The Company You Keep shows a dimwitted FBI that can't manage to catch up to a 75 year old man on the run (literally). At one point, Redford is on the run through a forest, with a bunch of FBI agents in hot pursuit - but Redford apparently still gets around pretty well for an old guy. Still, this particular scene is a bit humorous at first, but eventually reality sinks in and Redford's character realizes that it's unlikely he'll be able to avoid those youthful FBI legs for a sustainable amount of time. In any event, The Fugitive at least provided a few "edge of your seat" action sequences, but sadly, The Company You Keep completely devoid of any of the pulse-pounding interactions.

Normally, one would presume that Robert Redford would be the standout in a film that he stars in and directs. Surprisingly, it's Shia LaBeouf that takes the "standout" title in this particular film. Not only does LaBeouf's performance outshine Redford's in this film, but he also outshines nearly all of his previous roles. Typically, LaBeouf plays the role of a character that is best described as sniveling or flat out annoying, so you can imagine the surprise of seeing him play a serious character, tackling a serious subject matter. Not only does he play a serious character, but there's very little to not enjoy about his character - for once, someone that instantly exudes a tremendous amount of confidence and recognizes his strengths. For once, LaBeouf stars in a film where he isn't overshadowed by Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), Michael Douglas (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), or a bunch of transforming vehicles (Transformers).

Overall, The Company You Keep is a bit more thrilling than originally anticipated. While the film is increasingly interesting (occasionally confusing) for the first half of the film, it quickly takes a turn downhill into an easily predicable film. However, Robert Redford and Shia LaBeouf are delightfully entertaining and easily carry this film from beginning to end, while still allowing for the ensemble supporting cast to appear for a few moments here and there.