It's a battle of the tousled headdresses when Redford's thatched weave and Shia LaBeouf's combed-with-a-washcloth curls go head to head. Arrogant rookie reporter Ben Sheperd (LaBeouf) may use his palm as a notepad, but damn if he isn't going to make history by exposing a former member of the Weather Underground, currently on the run from the law for a murder he allegedly committed 30 years ago. Nick Sloan (Redford) apparently learned more from watching action movies than his time spent as a member of the radicalized anti-war movement. Just when you think the heat has the drop on him, Sloan pops on his cheaters, tugs down the brim of his baseball cap, and slips into the Amtrak lavatory. It's routine moves like this that prevents The Company You Keep from ever rising above anything more than a standard thriller, obviously inspired by one of Redford's past hits. They could just as easily have called it All the Weather Underground's (Wo)men. A galaxy of stars (Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, Julie Christie, Brendan Gleeson, Brit Marling, Stanley Tucci) put in their 10 minute bids for supporting actor nominations. It's probably starchy Redford's finest directorial hour and still nothing to get worked up over. Credit DP Adriano Goldman (City of Men, Sin Nombre) for giving the film its hard-edged look.
Reader Rating: Two Stars
It's a battle of the tousled headdresses when Redford's thatched weave and Shia LaBeouf's combed-with-a-washcloth curls go head to head. Arrogant rookie reporter Ben Sheperd (LaBeouf) may use his palm as a notepad, but damn if he isn't going to make history by exposing a former member of the Weather Underground, currently on the run from the law for a murder he allegedly committed 30 years ago. Nick Sloan (Redford) apparently learned more from watching action movies than his time spent as a member of the radicalized anti-war movement. Just when you think the heat has the drop on him, Sloan pops on his cheaters, tugs down the brim of his baseball cap, and slips into the Amtrak lavatory. It's routine moves like this that prevents The Company You Keep from ever rising above anything more than a standard thriller, obviously inspired by one of Redford's past hits. They could just as easily have called it All the Weather Underground's (Wo)men. A galaxy of stars (Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, Julie Christie, Brendan Gleeson, Brit Marling, Stanley Tucci) put in their 10 minute bids for supporting actor nominations. It's probably starchy Redford's finest directorial hour and still nothing to get worked up over. Credit DP Adriano Goldman (City of Men, Sin Nombre) for giving the film its hard-edged look.
Reader Rating: Two Stars