Action legend Simon West (the director of Con Air, the first Lara Croft and The Mechanic) has put together a pretty moderate comedy-thriller with screenwriter Greg Johnson; the collective star power in its (undoubtedly) impressive cast isn’t quite strong enough to make it come alive. It is set in Belfast and Northern Ireland — perhaps because of production funding requirements. There is a slightly weird moment in which Lucy Liu’s character, speaking from a bar in London’s Soho, says wistfully of Belfast: “I’ve always wanted to go there … it’s got a great music scene.” Perfectly true, of course, but there is something rather autopilot about the way she delivers the line.
Christoph Waltz plays an ageing and dissolute hitman called Danny Dolinski whose trigger finger is seizing up with arthritis, so his exasperated handler tells him he has to retire, but before that, he must mentor a new, up-and-coming assassin called Wihlborg, played by Cooper Hoffman, who is an uptight, no-drinking-and-smoking gen Z-er. Together, they must go out on a job to whack a certain someone on a Northern Irish golf course, but grumpy Danny figures he will do the killing while this young upstart can just watch how a master does the business. And along the way they run into Danny’s friend Anata (Liu) for whom Danny may have feelings.
Old Guy is always acted with commitment and Hoffman shows he has the chops for a bigger role (his management may be minded to get him to bulk up in the gym for mainstream leading men parts). Three big names doing a professional job … but the target isn’t found.
• Old Guy is in UK and Irish cinemas later in the year.
