Review of The Company You Keep (2012) by Clarisesamuels — 14 Sep 2013

Robert Redford, now 77, directs and stars in this film with a host of famous actors who are now all in their 60’s and 70’s—including Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Chris Cooper, Nick Nolte, Sam Elliott, and Richard Jenkins. The youngster in the film is Shia LaBeouf, the journalist who is determined to uncover a great story for his small-time Albany newspaper, regardless of ethical considerations.

The plot involves the real-life scenario of young American revolutionaries, or home-grown guerrilla fighters, known as the Weather Underground or the Weathermen, who organized in 1969 to protest the war in Vietnam. But long after the war ended, they continued with their activities up until 1981, when they finally disbanded. In their early days they planted bombs and helped Timothy Leary to escape from jail. They also blew up a bathroom in the Pentagon. No one was ever hurt. An earlier 1970 bombing at a police precinct where a sergeant was killed was eventually linked to the Black Liberation Army, although the Weather Underground was suspected initially.

In 1973 all charges against the Weather Underground were dropped because the Supreme Court barred any evidence that was gathered by electronic surveillance without a court order, which made it difficult to prosecute them. After that, the Weather Underground continued to operate, focusing mostly on Marxist-Leninist ideology with the publication of their manifesto, Prairie Fire, but the organization started to disintegrate in 1977 and finally dissolved in 1981. Because of the ruling in 1973, the top dogs in the organization were taken off the FBI Most Wanted List.

This film invents a scenario that imagines that thirty years later, certain members of the organization are still wanted by the FBI because of a bank robbery where a security guard was killed. The two most guilty parties, Mimi Lurie (Julie Christie) and Susan Solarz (Susan Sarandon) have new identities and have been at large for thirty years. Nick Sloane (Robert Redford) was also implicated, although mistakenly, and he is now an established lawyer, widowed, and living with his 11-year-old daughter under the assumed name Jim Grant. They are living in what looks like 2012, the year of filming, complete with cell phones, Facebook, and Google searches, while they trace their activities back thirty years, which would take us back to 1982, the year after the Weathermen disbanded and long after their most radical activities ceased.

The timeline doesn’t work. But Redford is not concerned with realistic scenarios; he is aiming for a reexamination of ethical values with respect to politicians, journalists, and every responsible citizen. The Wall Street criminals who nearly ruined the planet are not mentioned, but we know they are there, and they should probably turn themselves in along with everyone else.

Redford’s Sloan finds himself on the run again after Susan Solarz is arrested. He was not present at the bank robbery and only one person, his ex-girlfriend Mimi, can clear his name if she is willing to turn herself in. She isn’t, and Sloan has to despair that he will go to jail, and his daughter will have to be raised by relatives. Seeing Redford on the run in his 70’s is a joy to behold because he has retained all the charisma and athleticism of his youth. And seeing Redford and Christie share a scene is worth the entire movie.

We know Redford is a political activist, and this film suits him, but he is perhaps stretching the premise a little too thin. In any case, he can still star in films and be handsome and commanding, truly a feat in itself.