‘The Old Guard’ Review

Charlize Theron has proven in the past that she is quite the badass, along with being a tremendous actress. Her role as Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road has shown that she can lead an action film in spectacular fashion. The Old Guard may not be as good as Fury Road, but it is still a solid and entertaining action film, especially for one that is made by Netflix.

Plot

The Old Guard stars Theron, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Kiki Layne. Layne plays Nile, a girl in the armed forces who survives an attack and finds out that she is immortal. Theron finds her and recruits her to join the Old Guard, a group of immortal mercenaries who have been traveling the world for ages, protecting it from many evils completely under the radar. Nile must train with them in order to stop a plot that endangers the entire group.

Creative concept that builds a new world

The most surprising thing about this film is just how much I found myself wrapped up in its world. The film has a lot of scenes of exposition, explaining the legacy of the group and how they came to be in their present state. The exposition never feels overwhelming and often serves to build this world and give this group a cool, mythological status. 

The film also plays a lot with themes and concepts that emerge from the idea of immortality that is very interesting. It speaks on eternal bonds and how immortality can really have an impact on loved ones when they aren’t immortal as well. It is often heartbreaking and tragic but gives this group and these characters a lot of depth.

Performances and action all shine

This is the first I have ever seen of Layne, but she is great here. She basically serves to represent the audience as she discovers this group and their history. We find out new information along with her so we connect ourselves to her character. 

She and Theron play off of each other very well, along with the rest of the crew. Since her character is new to being immortal, there are a lot of moments of vulnerability and heart for her character as she deals with the meaning of this new development.

Theron is awesome in this movie and is given most of the action to do. She does very well in these scenes, but still gives this character a lot of complexity during the slower moments. Her character is very relatable despite being immortal. The rest of the team is also really good. They all have great chemistry with one another and there are some twists that occur in the story that I didn’t see coming.

The movie is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood who does a good job at the helm, especially with the action scenes. It is reminiscent of the way the scenes are shot in John Wick, but that is good. 

The action is very clear, with little editing and little shaky-cam. It is also brutal and hardcore with a lot of bloody hits that make the hits a lot more impactful. The action scenes also have actual songs playing during them, which could be distracting for some, but I didn’t mind.

Main plot is rather bland

The main issue with this movie is the main plot of the film. Once the world building is finished, we then focus on a plot involving a billionaire who wants to use the Old Guard’s immortality to increase humans’ lives. While the motives are somewhat understandable, he is nothing more than a generic, rich bad guy. 

Final verdict

It’s unclear exactly what his plan was or how he was going to do what he wanted. This plot line which becomes the center of the narrative is way less interesting than some of the mythological ideas of the Old Guard.

Overall, The Old Guard is a strong action movie. Even though it’s on Netflix, it still would hold up pretty well if it was a theatrical release. The action is strong, the character work is surprisingly well done, and I liked the legend surrounding the Old Guard. 

While the plot is rather weak, the movie is worth a watch, especially if you like unique action films. It ends with a tease for a future film and I look forward to a sequel if they choose to make it.

Final score: 7/10