The Old Guard

Based on a graphic novel, The Old Guard follows a crew of immortal mercenaries, including Charlize Theron’s Andy and Matthias Schoenaerts’ Booker, as they’re forced to go on the offensive after their existence is threatened. There’s ultimately never a point at which The Old Guard becomes the fun, visceral actioner promised by its admittedly larger-than-life setup, as filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood delivers an overlong and oddly sluggish endeavor that fares especially poorly in its meandering opening stretch – with the aimless bent of Greg Rucka’s script ensuring that the viewer’s efforts at embracing the material fall distressingly flat. It’s clear, at least, that the picture does improve somewhat as it progresses into a more substance-heavy midsection (ie the film finally becomes about something), with the watchable atmosphere heightened by the relatively compelling performances and smattering of decent action sequences – although, in terms of the latter, Prince-Bythewood remains unable to infuse such high-octane moments with the excitement and exhilaration one might’ve anticipated. And although the heroes’ climactic attack against a myriad of armed goons is relatively engrossing, The Old Guard concludes with a painfully protracted stretch that ensures it finishes on a disappointingly underwhelming and forgettable note – which does, in the end, cement the picture’s place as a comic-book adaptation that could (and should) have been so much better.

** out of ****