Can a film starring three legendary actors overcome a script that feels like parody?
In short: Stand Up Guys features Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Alan Arkin as aging gangsters reuniting for one final night of trouble. While the film offers the rare pleasure of watching these icons riff together, critics remain sharply divided on whether the performances justify the messy, often desperate, narrative direction.
Directed by Fisher Stevens in his first dramatic feature, the 2012 film Stand Up Guys centers on Val, played by Al Pacino, who is released from prison to find his friend Doc, played by Christopher Walken, has been hired to kill him. The title refers to an American idiom for a loyal friend, a theme that anchors the plot as the duo navigates a series of increasingly chaotic set-pieces, including a pharmacy heist and a high-speed police chase with their old getaway driver, Richard, played by Alan Arkin.
The critical reception of the film was polarized. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 37% approval rating, with many reviewers characterizing the script as perfunctory and the direction as messy. Critics like those at Slant Magazine noted a sense of despair in seeing such legendary actors reduced to crude comedic tropes, suggesting the film occasionally veers into self-parody. Conversely, reviewers like Mick LaSalle praised the performances as the best in years for both Pacino and Walken, arguing that the film intentionally introduces standard crime tropes only to subvert them and reveal deeper truths.
The production process itself was marked by a permissive approach, with director Fisher Stevens aiming to provide space for the actors to showcase their chemistry. Despite the mixed reviews, the film earned a nomination for Best Original Song at the 70th Golden Globe Awards for Jon Bon Jovi’s track, 'Not Running Anymore.' Ultimately, the film’s success depends on the viewer's tolerance for its uneven tone; while some see a 'ramshackle homage' to 1970s acting styles, others find genuine value in the moments where the actors are allowed to simply play off one another without the interference of a rigid, conventional plot.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Stand Up Guys
- Also: Stand Up Guys
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