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The Old Guard is a 2020 American superhero film directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and written by Greg Rucka, based on his comic book of the same name.

The film stars Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The Old Guard was released on July 10, 2020, on Netflix

A group of mercenaries, all centuries-old immortals with the ability to heal themselves, discover someone is onto their secret and must fight to protect their freedom.

The statement above is the plot of this Film in a nutshell

So, in times of lock down we have a Super Hero offering

This one arrives for viewing, not in Theaters but in the comfort of our homes

So, Does It Score? Let’s Find Out!

What Doesn’t Work?

Screenplay, Loop Holes and Actors Wasted:

The Screenplay by Greg Rucka loses steam at certain stages
It loses focus of the story it’s trying to convey to audiences
There are a few plot points that meander around but are lost after a certain time
I would have loved to see the premise going in a certain direction which it didn’t
There is a certain character that is never explored beyond being stated
It would have been interesting to see what happened to that character
Chiwetel Ejiofor, I think was wasted in this movie
Another actor, Harry Melling as the antagonist is more a mockery than being truly vile

**Matthias Schoenaerts as Booker / Sebastian Le Livre**

Now, What Works?

The Premise, Narrative and Direction:

The Premise adds a unique layer to this tale of superheroes
It gives you a sense of unease when you see the Immortals coming back to life
The Sensation of feeling pain, anguish and agony of Survival over and over again is a bit unnerving
This sensation is effectively explored through an effective portrayal of character building
The Direction by Prince-Bythewood takes care of this aspect
We see a sense of Grief through them, having to see the same old face of Humanity time and again
There is a hint of cynicism conveyed through Theron’s character
The Action Set Pieces are nicely executed
They keep the narrative moving ahead from one sequence to the other

**Marwan Kenzari as Joe / Yusuf Al-Kaysani**

The Music, Cinematography and Overall Execution:

The Back Ground Score and the choice of songs used by Hauschka & Dustin O’Halloran is effective
It sets a perfect tone for the movie to essay the weight of centuries being plied upon by our heroes
At the same time, it also conveys moments where they have to dive straight in for a lack of choice
The Cinematography by Tami Reiker & Barry Ackroyd is slick and captures the locales of France, UK, Sudan with finesse
The Overall set up of scenes in this movie are Apt, On Point and enough to keep you hooked
The Coda just when the movie ends leaves The Old Guard open ended with a hope that we could see these characters return

**Charlize Theron as Andy / Andromache of Scythia**

The Performances:

Most of the Actors barring apart the 2 highlighted above do justice to their roles
Kenzari & Marinelli as part of this brigade spit fire and sarcasm with equal ease
Their portrayal of lovers who learned to love after killing each other for millennia is Exquisite
Schoenaerts as the anchor to Theron’s character is absolutely surreal
He displays grief and hope with a delicate balance of sensitivity to their age old curse
KiKi Layne as the new comer to this pack who has just discovered immortality is the layer that grounds their power
Her struggle to understand it all, the futility and the curse of trying to fight for what’s right hits the Bull’s Eye

The Pick of The Lot?

Last but not the least, Charlize Theron as Andy / Andromache of Scythia
The Person who leads The Old Guard!
She walks through this role on a thread balancing the curse, the power and the need to protect her own
At the same time, her acting prowess effectively shows us what her character has been through
The trauma, the rage, the frailty of it all shows up through delicate expressions
She is a delight to watch both in the action and dramatic sequences
She nails the emotional heft of Andy and it is heart warming to see her struggle with her curse

The Verdict?

Although not a perfect product, this movie still deserves to be seen for:

Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Direction
An Effective Touch of Gravitas to it’s Story Telling
Characters that continue living for the lack of dying
Trying to make sense of the Futility of it All
Some Good Action Set Pieces
A Stellar Act by Theron who kicks Ass

I just gave you enough reasons for a weekend watch

For any more, just refer to the tag line of The Old Guard!

I think Forever getting a Lot More Harder should do the Trick….