It’s not that often that a film comes around which is purely a vehicle for the leading actors to appear together in. Sure, Zero Dark Thirty was made, in part, to show off Jessica Chastain’s acting talent, but rather than showcase the skills of a newcomer, Stand-Up Guys showcases the skills of some actors who are certainly not newcomers.
Within two minutes of this film, we get to see Christopher Walken and Al Pacino onscreen together. Seeing this, we realise that no matter what the story, script or supporting cast are like, this will be a fun watch. To be fair, the story isn’t great and isn’t the slightest bit original. Pacino’s character Val has just been released from jail after 28 years and is greeted by him only friend, Doc (Walken). However, he soon realises that Doc has been told to kill him before the next morning, and he agrees to allow Doc to shoot him. They spend the night enjoying themselves, dropping in on a brothel run by Lucy Punch, a restaurant waitressed by Doc’s niece, and their only other friend, Alan Arkin’s care-home abandoned Hirsch.
All the actors are clearly having fun on screen, and there isn’t one shot in the film that doesn’t feature one of the main three. The filmmakers got their money’s worth. This is under no circumstances an ‘awards film’, but it’s a lot of fun to watch, just to see these incredible stars together. It’s The Avengers for 70’s tough-guys (and Alan Arkin).
Grade: 4/5
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