★★★★☆

Stand Up Guys had to find its way onto my rental list. If you have read some of my prior movie reviews you know any movie with Christopher Walken is going to find a spot on my rental list. He brings a certain quality to most movies which I find appealing. He did not disappoint in Stand Up Guys. When you take into account this movie also had Alan Arkin and Julianna Margulies you know it had to find its way onto a great many rental lists.

People of a certain age are from an era when gangster movies had this “all about the family” kind of sensibility to them. Yes, they went off and did horrible things, but they always came back to take care of the family. At least that was our romantic view of things via movies. Al Pacino was in quite a few of these movies. Christopher Walken has been working his way into some of these roles as well. If you get a chance, check him out in Jersey Boys.

Retired Gangsters

Over the past couple of decades there have been a few movies about “retired” gangsters. I guess everybody starts thinking about retirement at some point. This is a marked switch from the prohibition era gangster movies where the only way out was in a coffin. Some of them have been comedies such as “The Crew” and others more somber like this one. While it has comedy it is more about how the wheels of justice and the old crew keep grinding them down even after they have passed the baton to another.

When you think about it, who would be your friend in retirement? Most of your friends from childhood will have either been killed off or arrested. Just how many former rivals do you think you will wish to reminisce about old times?

Such is the fate of our three retired gangsters who decide to get together for one last wild night. Eventually they have to face their pasts and one of them has been tasked with killing another. He doesn’t want to, but alternatives are hard to come by.

For more movie rental ideas please see list one and list two.