directed by:
Mark Battle written by: Mark Battle genre: Action, Comedy |
Okay, so let’s be real here – “Old Man 2” is over the top, pretty ridiculous, and entirely entertaining. From the moment our hero chooses to blow up the institution he’s been placed in at the very start of the film - and proceeds to come raining down outta the sky miles and miles away for a perfect landing in the dumpster - that just so happens to cure his back pain and get him mobile again, it was quite clear to me that “Old Man 2” was actually gonna be genuinely amusing. There’s simply no disappointment to be found here! Whether it’s the quintessential bad guys and their meatheadedness, the jar of lying tongues, the end-level boss known purely as Dick, or classic lines you’ll find along the way like “Where’s my f**cking filet mignon?” – I feel safe in guaranteeing you’ll like this film a whole lot more than you’d think. How do I know that? Purely because I’d say this isn’t my normal genre of choice, and I’m lovin’ it!
What do you do when you’re being hunted and on the run for your life as an ancient old man? Obviously, you head out to the woods to find that box you buried long ago that contains all your grenades - and start cutting your beard back to its signature size via your Rambo knife, do you not? As he lights up a smoke and starts sending plumes of thick black clouds out of the forest to disclose his location to the bad guys - so that they WILL come after him, you can tell that “Old Man 2” is built around the concept of ‘what if someone were to f**k around and find out?’ – and I am HERE for IT y’all. I love a good revenge movie, to begin with, but combined with this Cult-style Comedy to go with it…I dunno. Call me crazy, but there really is something wildly enjoyable about “Old Man 2.” Sure, it’s got the ol’ shoestring budget and all, but so what? It’s a character-driven story at the end of the day, and it’s all centred around a main character, Sergeant Frank Smith, who is bloody entertaining in every way. What makes “Old Man 2” even funnier is how aware it is that it’s so far past the point of believable that it’s embraced its zany plot with wide open arms. Moments like where our hero has got one of the baddies lined up in his sights and he’s ready to pull the trigger, only to have that villain throw a needle directly into his scope like Robin Hood splitting the arrow, give the opportunity to break that fourth wall somewhat & have the Colonel exclaim “you’ve gotta be shitting me” at the sheer ridiculousness of it all.
Even the fact that our senior citizen good guy can’t seem to get through a scene without lighting up another smoke and is always “itching to blow something up” will cause you to continually chuckle. I can promise you’ve never seen someone put so much effort into staying on top of a landmine, as you’ll see one of the bad guys do in one of the most hilarious scenes you’ll find in “Old Man 2.” Many of the twists you’ll see along the way are obvious and presented in a long, drawn-out, tongue-in-cheek way that circles past the point of their predictability - to put you back on the edge of your seat and ready to laugh about what you knew was coming all along. In that respect, I’m tellin’ ya, “Old Man 2” never disappoints or decides to randomly throw an extra curveball atcha – what you think is going to happen is definitely going to happen, right down to the classic ripping of the beating heart straight out of a man’s chest. If I learned anything, it’s that you don’t get into a territory dispute with a homeless man unless you’ve got the actual deed to the spot you wanna hole up in... and if you’re in a pinch, boots can be currency. The Lockthorn Nursing Corp does NOT play nice yo – beware! I don’t know where you’re all planning on putting your folks when they start to get older, but you might wanna rethink about putting them in the trust of the LNC. Of course, in the event that something goes south, it’s comforting to know the likes of a hero like Buster, aka Frank Smith, aka resident 911, aka the titular Old Man we’ve been talkin’ about all along, is out there fighting the good fight and ready to help those in need. Not all heroes wear capes, as they say – and if “Old Man 2” proves anything, I suppose you could say it proves that. What IS unexpected is the pure dose of heart that “Old Man 2” injects into its finale. It’s actually quite welcome and pleasant, if I’m being honest with ya. You could argue it’s still over the top, but it fits perfectly with the rest and provides a stellar ending to this film while simultaneously promising to return with a third installment. Sign me up! I came halfway into this series watching the sequel first, but I’d definitely go back to watch the original “Old Man” after all I’ve seen here. This was undeniably fun, straight up. I might have wanted to deny it, but I can’t, so I won’t – this really was a whole lotta fun. Writer/Director/Actor Mark Battle deserves a lot of credit for making it that way. John Mason, our hero, also deserves a lot of credit for how entertaining this was. If you’re looking for some over-the-top comedy and a storyline that never needed to exist, “Old Man 2” has got you covered in all the right ways – it’s getting a solid four stars out of five from me, and a commendation for its outlandish bravery. Make sure to stick around through the credits for an extra scene, too! You might not get the Samuel L. Jackson you were probably expecting, but you will get a clever nod toward the future of this franchise. |
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