This is a very lightweight comedy with a lightweight script. But, silly premises are OK for comedy like this. The big value to the film is in the actors it brings together – several in their senior years. Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas were two great actors who entertained millions of moviegoers since the mid-1940s. Here they play two convicts being released from prison after 30 years.
But times have changed and Harry Doyle (Lancaster) and Archie Long (Douglas) have more than a little difficulty adjusting. They don't quite fit in. Archie doesn't mind the society changes in the over- sexed gym manager he finds. Harry can't get used to the rudeness and lack of manners and respect he finds all around him. This is a move that should make people think about how our society has changed in some ways that are not for the better.
The film has a nice dose of action with some very funny encounters. Charles Durning adds to the humor as the detective (Deke Yablonski) who originally caught the two thieves after they pulled off the last train robbery in U.S. history. A number of other actors lend to the fun of this film. But one stands out – Eli Wallach as Leon Little. None of us know until the very end of the film why this guy has been gunning for the two ex-cons since the day they were released from prison. They don't even know who he is, so that revelation and the film ending are a real hoot.
This is a warm-hearted film with a lesson or two that modern folks might gain by. But, because it moves slowly it's not likely that many people of the Millennial generation would sit still for it.
But times have changed and Harry Doyle (Lancaster) and Archie Long (Douglas) have more than a little difficulty adjusting. They don't quite fit in. Archie doesn't mind the society changes in the over- sexed gym manager he finds. Harry can't get used to the rudeness and lack of manners and respect he finds all around him. This is a move that should make people think about how our society has changed in some ways that are not for the better.
The film has a nice dose of action with some very funny encounters. Charles Durning adds to the humor as the detective (Deke Yablonski) who originally caught the two thieves after they pulled off the last train robbery in U.S. history. A number of other actors lend to the fun of this film. But one stands out – Eli Wallach as Leon Little. None of us know until the very end of the film why this guy has been gunning for the two ex-cons since the day they were released from prison. They don't even know who he is, so that revelation and the film ending are a real hoot.
This is a warm-hearted film with a lesson or two that modern folks might gain by. But, because it moves slowly it's not likely that many people of the Millennial generation would sit still for it.