Stand Up Guys

A bunch of great actors get together and do their best with middling material. Al Pacino plays a criminal released from a long prison haul, and Christopher Walken plays the guy who is supposed to pick him up at the prison gate and take his life soon thereafter. I have a hard time with this premise right off the bat, because the two are best friends, and if you’re a crime boss with any brains and want somebody smoked, you don’t hire the dude’s best friend to do the gig. Don’t you think there’s a chance the dude won’t follow through? Anyways, Pacino and Walken hang out for a night that includes stealing cars, snorting prescription drugs, and hanging out with another old guy (Alan Arkin). The trio makes most of this watchable, but with this cast, you want something more than just watchable. Pacino works hard to get some credibility back after a string of loser movies, and he redeems himself just fine. Walken is good here, playing a man with more depth than his usual parts. Arkin is just doing his shtick. Nothing all that surprising happens.