Too Old to Die Young (TV Mini Series) Volume 1: The Devil (2019) User Reviews

You all don't get NWR

[sackofwhine · 8/10 · 10 May 2020]

You can't simply run into a show by the eccentric mastermind Nicolas Winding Refn and expect a run by the mill crime drama.

Its too slow for you?

Then this isn't for you. The long takes, beautiful compositions and electronic tunes are here to get the viewer in a certain mood- not to hurry the story along. There are certain works of art that are supposed to communicate thoughts and ideas through visual storytelling. The fact that this episode took its time and lets us get into the headspace of the creator is exactly what made this so fascinating. I think certain audiences are not ready for something quite this experimental on a streaming site.

Loved it, some things didn't quite work for me. But overall I can't wait to see how this plays out.

As expected

[Nick63155 · 9/10 · 16 June 2019]

It's NWR! The "slow" camera movement, pauses between conversations, amazing cinematography and score is his style. I get it if people hate the camera work and pausing between conversations but in terms of the plot it's actually not that slow. At least if you compare it to other shows it's a regular pilot episode. Yes it was pretty long and could have been a bit shorter but it still felt very gripping because NWR's cinematography and score keep you going throughout. I give it an 8.6 and can't wait for what's in store for us viewers who appreciate NWR's work!

Otherworldly

[marcoarbia · 9/10 · 15 June 2019]

Absolutely gripping. Cinematography, soundtrack, acting are stunning. The way each scene is built with such precision and delivered is remarkable, with long, slow camera movements that are harrowing and unnerving. Can't wait to see more.

hypnotic and engrossing, a dark world comes to life

[sjsufan-4 · 10/10 · 16 June 2019]

Right from the start, NWR establishes a tone and style that sinks us into this dark, messed up mirror dimension where cops and criminals are simply two sides of the same coin. morality is blurred to the point of being almost nonexistent and the idea of justice is more complicated than it seems.

Refn breaks down suspence on a molecular level here, to the point where something as simple as anticipating the next line of dialogue is an act of suspense in itself. patience is key here and if thats something you struggle with, maybe grab a fidge spinner/cube or something to somewhat distract yourself with because this pace is highly deliberate and is essential to capturing the nature of this world.

i personally was confused about claims that the show is too slowly paced because i found the running time deceptive. by the time the episode was over, i was ready to dive into the next.

the cinematography and score are both top notch which is to be expected of NWR but the score really may be the best work Cliff Martinez has done with him. the compositions are all immaculate and the instrumentation is intoxicating. it really helps you sink into the rabbit hole that is this show.

it may not be for everyone but i think if you keep an open mind and find ways to curb your short attention span, this show will pay it back to you in dividends.

(also the scene with Steve Baldwin is an absolute pleasure to watch. perfectly surreal and hilarious)

A Bleak Dream

[lucanreyn-40177 · 8/10 · 17 June 2019]

An incredible start. Nicolas Winding Refn is loudly boasting every ten minutes but I love it! I can understand someone finding the self-indulgence irritating but, as a fan of Refn, it's simply a feast. The blocking here is out of this world, which you can see in every single frame, of which has obviously had 100% effort put into it; literally every frame of this is carefully lit (very neon-orientated) and phenomenally blocked...it's surprising that something this clearly staged is so hypnotic from start to finish. Cliff Martinez once again blows me away with the music; he manages to create with some of his best work here, and Cliff's score combined with the gorgeous cinematography is impressive and entrancing, as it accompanies a limited yet still engaging plot both on and off the surface, with major help from a fantastic Miles Teller, who plays a very unique and morally ambigious protagonist.

Mesmerising television. If you are wondering why I didn't rate it higher, you should know that 8 stars for me means I loved it; I certainly loved this and it looks like it's about to lead to something for the history books.

Problems are solved slowly

[Xavier-I-River · 9/10 · 18 June 2019]

If they know Nicolas Winding Refn, they will know about its slow composition. almost symmetrical photography and blood in a volume higher than normal. Beyond the great music of Cliff Martinez and the neon, and the characters with no face are the problems that can be solved or tangled at any moment. Only the slow response can give you a chance to overcome it.

Slow, methodical, and always on the edge of violence

[darkreignn · 7/10 · 20 January 2021]

The first episode of Nicolas Winding Refn's (NWR) "Too Old to Die Young" is, as per usual with NWR's work, the most visually gorgeous and euphoric sounding thing you've ever seen or heard. NWR has a true gift when it comes to depicting visuals, because practically every frame and every shot of this episode looks so jaw-droppingly stunning and, coupled with the cool synths and drones, it's not hard to be sucked into the noir world this show so far depicts. For better or worse, however, "Volume 1: The Devil" follows the same trope as other NWR works, which is a case of style over substance - it will be up to you whether or not that hinders your enjoyment of this episode. I myself am a fan of NWR, so I knew what I was getting into, but even so, I didn't completely enjoy this episode.

There are many words to describe this episode, and I don't think enjoyable is one of them. I really believe that you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who legitimately had fun while watching "Volume 1." And that's purposeful. This is not a fun piece of media; rather, "The Devil" is purposeful in its content, slowly lulling the viewer into a world where crime seems to be more normal than not. Right off the bat, you're introduced to characters who are so reprehensible that, when one of them meets their untimely demise, you're not at all sad to see them go. And practically every other character in this episode, save for perhaps one, follows the same formula of having a moral compass so skewed that they cannot seem to act any way other than the wrong way. And, admittedly, this does lend to an interesting viewing experience. Who are the heroes, and who are the villains? I really can't tell yet, but I'm looking forward to, hopefully, getting some answers along the way.

This episode does set up some interesting characters and plot points that, if I know anything about NWR, will either not be resolved, or never show up again. But, in this episode, the things that were set up were fascinating, and again, demonstrated that the world of this series is vile. Characters openly date underage girls, and no one seems to care. People cheat on their significant others, and express that the only way for them to stop would be to kill the person they are cheating with, in order to once and for all ensure their significant others do not find out. Yes, you guessed it - no one is likeable in this show as of right now, and that seems to be the point. This episode ends with a tease of a character doing something so horrific that my mouth was agape, heart racing at the thought of what may have occurred.

As I mentioned, this show looks fantastic, perhaps at the sacrifice of a coherent narrative. The pace is slow, and I mean slow with a capital S. Characters take long pauses while talking, and in fact, take so long to respond to one another that I almost found myself screaming at the screen just to get them to hurry up - I guarantee you, take out the pauses, and this hour and a half long episode would be 30 minutes shorter. Additionally, the camera also moves at a snail's pace; the opening alone is almost unbearably slow, with little dialogue, and no doubt is an endurance test for the audience. And while I was annoyed at many of the stylistic decisions, I'd be lying if I said I didn't somewhat like them. In a bizarre way, it almost feels like a joke that NWR is playing on the audience, and in fact, Miles Teller had a subtle smirk during many scenes that made me think he was in on it. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but this thought did make the pace slightly more bearable for me.

"Volume 1: The Devil" is interesting, for sure. I don't know where the show is going to go, but I'm certainly ready to find out.

Better version of Twinpeaks

[iniyan_arul · 10/10 · 25 November 2020]

Its really reminds me of Lynch first, and the music and the pace are the upgraded enhancements which lynch should have done in Twin Peaks(my wish).

Nicolas will never disappoint his fans thats for sure and this is a bond to that.

The must applaused thing is how perfectly and crookedly he didnt commit some mistakes that usually when filmmakers do a series they spend most time on creating the background story and to build the char they show past more, here and there. But Nicolas just changed that old patch and took us to a ride inside a surprise land.

Its woth it, every sequences it worth the time.

I liked it.

[LegendaryFang56 · 7/10 · 26 July 2021]

Wow, that was a long premiere. I'm aware Nicolas Winding Refn views this show as one big movie, so the runtime of each episode is extremely varied. But I imagine the premiere has the longest runtime out of all of the episodes. Implying that I'm correct, I just wonder why it had to be the premiere and not any other episode. A weird thing to wonder, I know.

Anyway, I enjoyed it, the premiere. The pacing was slow, yes, and perhaps much slower for others, as far as the feeling goes, but I wasn't too bothered by it. I don't necessarily have a strong opinion or preference when it comes to whether an episode is slow-paced or not, so that may be why. In some cases, though, I'd still slightly mind if it's slow or even fast-paced.

Back on track, as far as the premiere itself is concerned, everything was enthralling, despite the slow pacing, lingering shots, and the somewhat long pauses in-between dialogue; things that seem to be a major turn-off for some people. Me, not really.

Francis Ford Coppola....?

[haydenjeffrey69 · 9/10 · 7 July 2019]

I'm reminded of Francis Ford Coppola... from the 70s... could not stop watching, unbelievable.

Chapter 1 of the Slowest-Moving Crime Drama in the History of Everything

[ThomasMuf · 3/10 · 21 July 2019]

TOTDY is a pretentious, self-indulgent, narcissistic,navel-gazing, misogynistic, slow-moving mess that does look great but offers nothing in the way of plot, character development, nuance, real tension or, indeed, meaning. It's what happens when a studio (Amazon Prime) just hands out money to a self-professed auteur without any restrictions. So far, so bad.

Episode 1 very much sets the tone: After an arresting opening scene, nothing happens for a long time. A very long time. A very, very long time. 90% of viewers I think will have given up after the first 40 minutes or so, realizing that you're being treated to: endless pan shots that won't reveal anything; dialogue without meaning that leads to nothing; robotic lead actors being robotic; two hundred million of the same neon-lit shots; a skull exploding every thirty minutes or so from bullet impact - for one reason or another, or none at all; a director who's navel-gazing 100% of the time.

If you want to proceed, be aware that the pace will only pick up by Episode 4, and only a bit. The series has the same note and tone, its one and only note and tone, for the following 11.5 hours. So, proceed at your own risk.

Basic message: NEVER EVER give Nicholas Winding Refn free reign EVER AGAIN. AGAIN; EVER!

Like watching paint dry.

[timmyhollywood · 14 July 2019]

I bet there's some higher meaning to the loooong languid shots and pregnant pauses and lack of anything happening that's remotely interesting. But I stopped watching after ten minutes so I guess I'll never know. Next.

some good scenes but too slow and boring

[dexterbmet · 5/10 · 26 November 2019]

Simular with other works by Nicolas winding refn such as the neon demon and drive. Too old to die young takes a long time to build-up. Both of those films have very little to nothing happen until around the final act which isn't always a bad thing as other directors such as ari aster director of midsommor and hereditary have done the same job. However, the difference is that there is too little happening to keep the viewer engaged, and it is too slow-moving, making this possibly one of the slowest tv show I have ever seen. They stretch out around 20 minutes of plot into a 90 minute run time and though I do have to give credit where credit is due the scenes aren't entirely pointless when it comes to the plot of the episode but not all of them. The scene between the killer and his father was unnecessary. What that I hear you cry, how do they get 20 minutes of plot in a 90-minute episode well I tell you how. They make every single character speak extremely slowly with very long pauses in between each sentence. oh you think I'm joking. Watch it for yourself, and you tell me that it isn't too slow. They try to do what some horror movies do and have overly long shots to build up the tension and suspense which can work if done correctly. This entire 90-minute episode is nothing but building up suspense with no payoff, and though it works with a couple of the scenes when episode as the whole is trying to build up suspense, it just gets annoying and incredibly dull. A Tv show has a lot longer run time than a film does and this is no exception, but within a 90 minutes episode, you would expect to get at least some connection to the characters. Nope, out of all the characters, only one of them I know anything about, and even then it's very little. I hope it gets much better than this because after the first scene nothing happens until near the end of the episode, and I hope that it doesn't turn into one of Nichols films when literally nothing happened until the very end. As his movies are like 2 hours long, this is 13 hours long. I've heard that nothing happened until the fourth episode meaning I have around 4 and a half hours of filler and pointlessly long take just to get to anything good and this will I don't know what Nicolas was thinking starting the story at episode 4 but most people will begin with episode one and will switch off before episode 4 because of how slow and boring it is. This is my second attempt at watching this since I stopped halfway through episode 2 because of this very same issue. Nothing ever happened. Overall some scenes were pretty good, but most of the time nothing happened, and the slowness of the show just makes it unbearable to watch. But hey at least it looks pretty because according to Nicholas and a friend of mine. As long as it's pretty its the best thing ever. The music is pretty good for the most part, but when it tries to go down the more electronic route, then it doesn't sound right and just sounds ugly. I give episode 1 a 5/10

90 minutes of staring

[petercoleman555 · 1/10 · 18 February 2020]

It is mainly shots of people staring. If you cut out all the staring shots the show would go for 10 minutes..

Go watch someone staring on a park bench for 90 minutes and you'll feel the same amount of gratification after watching this for 90 minutes

Slow And Somewhat Boring....

[wandernn1-81-683274 · 5/10 · 5 May 2023]

Creepy cop, pulls over young lady and gives her a hassle. Creepy. -1 Star for initial creepy....

No cop takes that much time talking , EVER. So phony. His partner, silent Bob, is just as Creepy. So Cop wants to hook up with the girl in exchange for letting her go. It probably really does happen but it certainly is oddly creepy, again with that word, here. Another -1 Star

So he couldn't fleece her for sex, so he fleeces her for money instead.

Oh finally something good happens. Guy walks up to creepy cop.. 'Hey officer, this is for my mother' and opens fire on him. Puts him down! Oh nice well Larry is dead. And partner Martin finally speaks and why does he speak so slow also??? Anyways +1 Star for the end of Creepy Larry.

What era is this set in? Martin uses a payphone to make a call...payphones don't exist anymore so what is this? 90s? 00s?

Ruh Roh. Martin is hooking up with a 17 yr old student. And she's told her dad about it. Boy this is some unusual material. Daniel Baldwin makes an appearance and he nails his part! LOL with the Tigers.... +1 Star.

Martin is a dirty cop in deep with bad guys. He's also up for promotion to detective. The show has a lack of realism with so few people in police stations, in parking lots, on the streets. That is sort of annoying.

5/10.