Old Man (2022) User Reviews

Dialogue driven story that sort of delivers

[MK_Ultra_ · 6/10 · 19 October 2022]

Being a subtle fan of Lucky Mcgee, I envisioned something very different, as I was walking in knowing very little and also avoided trailers.

It's presented like a play. In other words, a one room, mostly 2 person venture. No real surprises but it has somewhat of a payoff that some might see coming, as I did, heading into the third act.

With that said, it's glacially slow at times---but I felt the dialogue was the glue that helped the weakish script hold up and may also have helped with the ending as well.

Violence and horror are pretty much surprisingly subdued---was more of a thriller in my opinion. Stephen Lang absolutely delivers the good as does Mcgee's intent---it just may be overlooked by some that get frustrated with the pacing.

6/10.

5.7/10. Watchable but not recommended

[athanasiosze · 6/10 · 23 December 2022]

This is like a stage play.

Stephen Lang was great, pace was good and the story was interesting enough to make me invested. Not for a second i felt bored and there is a twist i didn't see it coming. However, i can't recommend it. Just because the twist was unexpected, it doesn't mean that i liked it. Story was not illogical or dumb but still, some things didn't make much sense. The ending was kinda chaotic. Zero explanations given about Rascal, the cabin and what is this all about. I could overlook those details, a certain amount of ambiguity is not always a bad thing, but i can't get over the fact that the victimizer was more likeable than the victim. Thus, i didn't enjoy the ending, it was sad and not cathartic.

In any case, this is not a bad movie, and if you love dialogue driven drama/mystery movies, maybe you will like it more than me.

purgatory or senility

[fender-32191 · 6/10 · 21 October 2022]

Lang is an excellent actor, always be remembered for avatar as the mad commander, here we have an old man living in a cabin somewhere we dont really know or is really living in a cabin, or is it all in his head.

Suffice to say he is a loner copped up for a long time, younger fellow happens along and says he's lost, old man chats to him etc, young man disappears, then shifty looking dude in a cowbouy hat appears, he's name is rascal, old man mentioned he was a dog that runs away and comes back to young guy, turns out old man topped his wife and her lover, who rascal is ? Erm wendigo mmm who comes back to remind old man he murdered his wife and her lover, he's in a self imposed purgatory where it's rinse repeat, young guy who visits is erm himself.

Yada yada, blah blah blah.

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 3/10 · 28 February 2023]

This was worse than that one drunk uncle who wont stop blabbing at the family reunion. The normally comfortable 97 min runtime just dragged on and on endlessly and painfully. I don't mind dialogue-driven films, but this was all just shallow, repetitive, insignificant and monotonous back and forth banter, and to make matters worse, both characters were speaking at least half the normal speed of conversation. You can only take it so long before you start yelling at the screen for the characters to "spit it out already" and for something significant to happen. There wasn't enough substance in the writing to warrant anything longer that a 20-30 min short film, because you'll get frustrated and impatient 20 mins in. Even with the excellent performances by the two leads, especially Stephen Lang, and the decent directing and cinematography, around the 30-40 min mark, you'll stop caring about both characters and where the film's story is heading. Then when you finally get to the end reveal, it's the biggest let down and will make you wish you watched paint dry instead of sitting through the nonsense build-up and deflating ending.

A tough couple of characters to endure for 97 minutes

[jtindahouse · 5/10 · 21 January 2023]

Single-setting thrillers are kind of my jam. They're cheap to make and often end up being some of the most entertaining movies because they demand a strong script to carry them. 'Old Man' didn't quite work for me sadly. There was an idea here that could've been pulled off if executed differently.

The main problem stems from the characters. There are only really two of them of note in the film. One is characterless because of the way he is set up. He adds some mystery to the proceedings but otherwise he is just clueless and going along for the ride. The other character is a crazy old man who rambles on about nothing for minutes on end. Those two don't equal a particularly enjoyable 97 minutes of viewing.

The thing the film has going for it is the intrigue over what exactly is going on. There were a few routes the film could've gone down at the end, so if anyone is saying this one is predictable I would take umbrage with that. Unfortunately though the whole experience is very forgettable and not one I'd recommend. 5.5/10.

Don't bother

[josieweaver-75417 · 1/10 · 5 December 2022]

This starts well and Stephen Lang is very good acting You feel like something is going to happen But just don't waste your time

Spoiler

So you start watching the old man ( Stephen Lang ) A man living on his own in a cabin in the middle of no where. He talks to himself then a younger man knocks on door so you think it gets interesting The old man is a bit scary but then crazy It's mostly all set in this cabin The younger guy turns out to be the old man's younger self It turns out daft Maybe intellect types will love it and appreciate something about it but I just felt I wasted nearly / hours of my life Just don't bother.

I couldn't take my eyes off the screen

[scottkolflat · 7/10 · 21 October 2022]

This movie captured my attention from the start. Right away I started asking questions about what was happening and why. The old man, who is played by Stephen Lang, was an enigma and I wanted to know more about him and who Raskel was. Not long after the start of the story another man shows up at the old man's door claiming to be lost and in need of help, but the old man is paranoid and scares the heck out of him. The two characters get to know each other for most of the movie and the whole time I'm mesmerized and thinking that one of the two characters is going to kill the other, but which one? During that time I was really enjoying the movie, enough to give it a 8 or maybe a 9 out of 10, but then the big reveal happened and I didn't really like what happened. It brought my rating down to a 7. I thought the story was told very well. I thought the acting was really good. I liked pretty much everything about the production, direction, writing, sound, basically all the technical aspect of the movie were done really well, but that ending just wasn't satisfying at all. I would still recommend that people give this movie a watch, if not just for the story being told so well, but also because Stephen Lang is so captivating to watch in this movie.

Stephen Lang Show in a Movie that's Half-way Cooked

[TwistedContent · 5/10 · 18 October 2022]

Lucky McKee ("May", "Red", "The Woman") and Stephen Lang ("Don't Breathe", "VFW") were two, big, bold horror reasons to check the "Old man" out, while knowing it's most likely a risky low-budget adventure, and sadly not exactly in the horror genre. Well, Lang delivered, McKee too, but writer Joel Veach succeeded only halfway in this dialogue-based, one-room (cabin) character mystery, which feels like a seriously overlong "Twilight zone" episode.

An Old man of questionable mental state and with the strong smell of mystery, played by veteran actor Stephen Lang, awakens in his remote, isolated one-room-has-it-all forest cabin, and goes about his day, before the unexpected arrival of a lost hiker. Neither of them could imagine what the late night conversations will lead into... "Old Man" is 90% dialogue and 100% never leaving the room, so if you're a fan of such genre characteristics, this one might intrigue you. The movie leans on, no, hinges on the performance of Stephen Lang, embodying an erratic, unpredictable, funky old guy with a double barrel. And he does deliver an entertaining show, with the script he's carrying never being entirely unengaging. However, the twist finale can be seen long before the talks are over, and for a thriller, the pacing is certainly not very thrillsy. It takes a bit of time, delusion and paranoia, before the story takes its intended direction. In terms of violence and disturbing material reminiscent of other works by Lucky McKee, there is almost none. There is a portion of grittiness, but don't expect any horror shades really. Besides Lang there is Marc Senter in the clothes of the lost hiker, and I'm not sure if it was the acting or the little-too-oblivious character, but he rubbed me wrong at times. It is Lang's show all over. Despite the very limited space and setting, cinematography proves to know how to utilize it, and McKee summons an overall atmosphere, aesthetic and psychological, that works, but like only half-powered.

Though I won't talk about the mystery itself, I'll say it's nothing new... It's not a bad vision, but can't describe "Old Man" as original. However, If you're a fan of Stephen Lang and/or one-room movies, I recommend. My rating: 5/10.

Phychological thriller but not for everyone

[The_Swedish_Reviewer · 7/10 · 22 January 2023]

This gives the term "blow burner" a new meaning. I can absolutely understand if the average moviegoer won't appreciate Old Man, but I enjoyed it. It's just a handful of actors, with Stephen Lang as the main character, who plays an old, partially drunk man who lives alone in the woods. The visitor is a young and a little too polite man who is rather creepy. There is a twist at the end that I didn't really appreciate, but all in all this is an intense low budget thriller and Stephen Lang is great as always. The film is reminiscent of Don't Breathe where Lang plays kind of the same character as in this one. But don't waste your time. This is definitely not a movie for everyone. But if you like some weird and mysterious psychological thrillers/dramas, this is a good pick.

Mediocre movie. Stephen Lang gives a great performance.

[svenpombreu · 5/10 · 15 October 2022]

I was completely unaware of this movie. But it was mainly the handsome poster that made me curious about the story. So I set it up totally without a trailer or any prior knowledge.

The film starts in a hut and that is where it takes place for 90%.

You quickly get the feeling that you are not watching a movie, but a play.

Stephen Lang's acting is very clever and believable. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Marc Senter (who also co-produces this film).

As for the story, it is very easy to guess what is actually going on and the "twist" can't really be called a twist.

It feels like a missed opportunity, unfortunately.

5/10 for Stephen Lang's acting performance.

A Tale Without End !

[ianclarke340 · 9/10 · 15 October 2022]

Not action packed and no huge famous cast but that just makes it more intimate !

Stephen Lang's performance is incredible, he creates intrigue, mystery and atmosphere with a very understated performance using a well written script in an incredible set !

It's the kind of film that plays out slowly without revealing too much but there are some hints along the way which really keep you guessing almost to the end. These type of films are few and far between and for good reason, you need competent actors to carry it off and a well written plot and script but these things are becoming rare these days !

A masterfully executed pyschological drama.

[Vivekmaru45 · 7/10 · 15 October 2022]

I've been a fan of Stephen Lang ever since I watched his performance in Manhunter(1986) directed by the acclaimed director Michael Mann. A quote from that film: "Well, here I am..."

If ever there was an A-grade actor handled badly by Hollywood it's Stephen Lang. After Red Dragon he disappeared into obscurity. He should've used that film as a push into successful mainstream Hollywood movies of that era. However he had very meager successes. I would advise you to watch Escape: Human Cargo where he starred opposite Treat Williams another favorite actor of mine.

Back to the film: it is about an old man in a secluded cabin at the back ends of the world. He is struggling with guilt and fading memories of his past. He's interrupted by a knocking at the door and lets in a lost visitor. Soon the two fall into conversation. You'll have to sit through this one till the end to find out what happens next...

Overall Stephen Lang's fantastic acting saves this movie as its only grace. The photography and sound effects are more than adequate for a movie of this sort. Edward Lucky McKee is an exemplary film director and I'm sure the next projects of his will be very good.

Verdict: a very good and worthwhile one time viewing. You may also like these movies: Misery(1990), The Nature Of The Beast(1995) and Ravenous(1999).

P. S. First to review this movie! Cheers and thanks for reading this review!

About a senile old man

[biscuitskhan · 2/10 · 18 October 2022]

This movie is terrible. If you don't mind spoilers then read on.

The movie was good until it became stupid near the end. I liked that there were only 2 characters and we were wondering who may be the psychotic one between the 2. But then it turned out that there was only 1 character really the old man who is Joe and he has been living in the woods since the day he killed the fat dude who his wife found more attractive than him or what ever and Joe killed them both. I mean sure but why?? Why is the old man living in the woods in a cabin reliving the same moment over and over? Why is he being visited by his younger self from the day he killed his wife? They could have made it interesting in the end but they didn't they just ruined the whole movie.. And who is rascal? I have no idea.

If You Need Some Sleep, Then This One's For You

[damianphelps · 1/10 · 25 April 2023]

Yet another example of low low budget content filler rubbish.

This has been a trend with the explosion of streaming services requiring time filling content. Grab an actor with some kind of profile, slap him/her in a room and have them yak for an hour and a half. Ta Da content!

Lang is moderate at best.

The movie is boring and contrived and depressingly obvious.

I'd like to talk about the soundtrack or stunning visuals, cinematography but I can't because there isn't any.

If yiou subscribe to the service that screened this piece of junk then I recommend cancelling your subscription as soon as possible :)

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

[jlborras · 6 December 2022]

This is the worst movie I've seen in a long, long time. What is very hard for me to understand is how an actor like Stephen Lang decided to be part of it.

The movie is slow, very slow...and boring.

When I finally saw where it was going, it was too late. At least I was able to rescue some minutes of my life by fast-forwarding it until the very end.

It's one of those movies where nothing is what it seems, and then they apparently decided to patch an ending that goes nowhere.

I can't find any redeeming qualities to it. Maybe Stephen Lang's acting. But it is not enough. A movie so BAD doesn't deserve any stars.

Run for your life, and watch something else!

90 minutes of boring dementia

[calvinpulizzi · 1/10 · 30 March 2023]

This movie was so bad I had to create an account just to warn people away from it. It makes 90 minutes seem like an eternity. It took me three tries to get through this slog. It seems simple. A young hiker, Joe, stumbles upon a cabin in the middle of nowhere and meets the Old Man. It's obvious right away the Old Man is crazy and Joe is hiding something. The dialogue is rambling and vague. No one would talk like they do. The actor who plays Joe delivers his lines in the same monotone confused drawl that reminds me of the "What" guy from Pulp Fiction. Stephen Lang is wasted as an actor here. It becomes obvious pretty quickly that Joe is just a figment of the Old Man's crazy mind. But it takes almost the entire movie to come out and say it. The last 15 minutes turn into an indie psychedelic movie complete with color changes, hallucinations, and mysterious music. Long story short Joe/Old Man came home, found his wife screwing a Bible salesman amd killed them both. Old Man is stuck in a repeated dream/hell where he meets Joe and unaware that Joe is a younger version of him. There's also a character called Rascal that is played by the Joe actor, but they tried to cover his face a bunch to draw out that reveal. They never really explain who the Rascal personality is. Overall it was a huge dumb waste of time.

A Short Story

[romanprv · 5/10 · 17 October 2022]

This movie starts promising: An interesting setting and enigmatic characters let you hope for a 90 min play full of twisted dialogues and psychologically complex interaction, maybe warfare even. In a few moments, it skillfully achieves to build up an atmosphere of subtle, lovecraftian horror -- but only to tear it down a few seconds later with meaningless, down-to-earth dialogues. In general, this movie looses momentum very fast and makes you wish it would only run 30 min tops. It boils down to its ending and so it would have been a perfect fit for "Alfred Hitchcock presents". I recommend this for fans of Stephen Lang and die hard mystery movie lovers only.

Thought provoking

[zkfo-36900 · 7/10 · 31 October 2022]

The Old Man may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I watched it initially because I love Stephen Lang and always have. This movie plays into some of what he does best, great acting and acting unhinged. It's a slow burn like some say for sure, but an interesting one in my opinion. I admit i like more action to my movies. You keep waiting for more than what happens. All I can say is the end is not expected. I say he's in hell and this is his loop. After it was over of course I see things that shoukd have led me down that path all along. At least I should have put a few things together earlier on.

That ending.. Just killed it completely

[idonotexist · 3/10 · 25 October 2022]

This started as a slow burn movie of a convo between a weird old dude and a yonger weird and annoying serial killer looking and behaving dude.

Then it progressed to conversation based story of old dudes past experiences in his cabin. There are a lot of red flags about the younger person yet the overly suspicious old dude becomes inert to them and carries on as if there is nothing strange about everything.

As it goes along you are waiting for the carnage to start occurring at some point since there is solid build up for one of the 2 men (or maybe both) to go full psycho on each other. Plenty of clues for that are dropped and drum roll, bait and switch.

Instead nothingburger takes place with some absolutely abhorrent out of place supernatural dead mountain lion ghost undertaker fountain of youth time loop ghost something taking the stage. Movie ends. Nothing happened. It was all fake. Except the fake part at the end that was supposedly real.

Absolute train wreck. It was a 6/10 movie the nosedived right into a volcano at the end. It is bad.. not bad in a witty way, just plain horribly bad. Shallow, unimaginative taken out of some toddlers random nightmare one day bad. Actually i think that is what took place here. It was some crew members toddlers dream that they made into a movie here. And the adults left the stage halfway in.

Age with Rage

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 2 October 2023]

No pun intended - if you like or even love Stephen Lang ... well I do not need to convince you. If not, this may be able to convince you to to love him - his performance is everything! Yes there is the script (with a twist or two on your way or rather the movies way) ... but it is how he delivers whatever they give him.

That said, we do realize something is off from the get go. But what is it? Maybe you will surprised, maybe you can guess way before I did, where it goes with it. Maybe the new character late in the game will throw you off, maybe it won't ... there is a lot of factors that have to work for you, to like the movie. One is the pace - the other your patience with the performance - which is excellent of course, but might not be something that floats your boat ... just saying.

Not worth your time

[kevinmcourtney · 2/10 · 14 January 2023]

• The guy who plays Joe is such a bad actor it really takes away any of the intensity of the film is trying to accomplish. And the old man frankly isn't much better. But the dialogue is very inorganically written anyway, so even if the acting was better it would still be a rough watch.

• This should have been a 15 minute short rather than 90+ minutes.

• This feels like it was written to be a play in a small local theater, where the intrigue is in the captive audience. It doesn't successfully translate to a movie format. And again, it should have been a short play at that.

• It tries to utilize a lot of silence to convey that the isolation of the location and highlight the characters' discomfort, but it just highlights how boring and empty the plot and dialogue is.

An Excellent & Gripping Movie

[thefighting78 · 8/10 · 15 October 2022]

No Spoilers.

This movie reels you in from start to finish. The time goes by so fast, you don't even realize it's over. Both Stephen Lang and Marc Senter have breathtaking performances. The movie grip's your attention and takes you on a journey where you have no clue where it's headed. The storytelling throughout the movie is keeps your attention directed at that particular story then onto the next. Marc Senter has come a long way in his acting career. I'm so glad he's landing roles such as this to add to his incredible talented line of characters he's played in many other films. One in particular that comes to mind, was a horror movie in which these kids summon a demon for fun, and he plays the part of a pizza delivery man, that just so happens to deliver pizza to the wrong house; the summoning house. Getting back to "Old Man," it is such a great movie, well acted, and good story telling. Watch it, you will not be disappointed.

Beauty and Death

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 29 October 2022]

The Old Man (Stephen Lang) wakes up in a rustic cabin in the Great Smokey Mountains. He is alone in his red long johns. He calls out for "Rascal" who we don't know is a dog or a person. As he starts a morning routine an unexpected knock comes on the door of his remote cabin. The Old Man gets his gun and greets the visitor. Joe (Marc Senter) is a lost hiker, who is not really a hiker. The initial exchange is awkward and non-trusting. Eventually Joe gives us a brief bio and describes his problems which includes his wife (Liana Wright-Mark) and conception problems. The old Man confesses he had a wife issue also.

At some point in time, you should have things figured out before Rascal returns and explain the plot. Interesting acting. I loved the haunting song at the end sung by A J Lambert (Nancy Sinatra's daughter) sounding similar to Kate Bush.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

Well-acted but sadly very predictable

[rupe01 · 4/10 · 17 October 2022]

This could really have been a short film as it was way too predictable. Steven Lang gave a really great, scary performance but that doesn't overcome the fact that the outcome is pretty obvious from the outset. I imagine that the plot came from a short story but this movie was way too long and i kinda felt cheated by the resolution as i was desperately hoping it would be more complex than i thought. It wasn't; it isn't. Darn glad i didn't pay to see this at the box-office. Apparently this review is too short to submit even though i have seen much shorter so i will finish it with this rubbish to get enough charaters....ridiculous.

OLD DUMB MOVIE!!!!

[msvicki1224 · 1/10 · 3 January 2023]

I seriously don't understand how and why there are so many good reviews on this movie???? I mean, were we NOT watching the same movie??? The movie started out as if it was going to be good as well as interesting but it only turned out to be a complete waste of my time!!!! What was the point of having the old man's younger self visit his older self? The old man was mean and rude to his younger self in the beginning but began to treat his younger self nice after telling the story about how he punished the fat salesman. I wish I knew that this movie was going to suck so bad so that I wouldn't have wasted my time watching this crap!!!! Do yourself a favor and go watch *Don't breathe* 1&2!!!!