The Old Guard (2020)
An action film all about grief.
I was bought in when I first saw the poster for The Old Guard just because it’s an action movie starring Charlize Theron. I didn’t need to know much more than that — I was planning to watch this movie. Because it’s a Netflix film, I had quite low expectations, but an action movie with some solid fighting is always welcome in my world.
About two minutes into The Old Guard, I knew I was in for a treat. I had prepared myself for a film that focused more on action than its characters, but that’s not what it is at all. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great action scenes, but this was also written and directed with a level of intention that I wasn’t expecting. These characters are interesting and three-dimensional and each one of them is placed strategically in a well-structured story.
The plot itself is nothing new, it follows the traditional structure of an action movie featuring more than one main character, yet it is still exciting. If the characters had been shallow, The Old Guard would be just another stale action film, but because each one of them had agency, it truly was a joy to watch.
What shocked me the most about this film was how many of the characters were filled with and motivated by grief. Many action films center on anger or vengeance, but this one goes a different way, a creative…
