Going In Style

This review may contain spoilers!

It really goes to show that with some incredibly talented leads and a simple, yet heartwarming script you can make one of the most memorable comedies of the year. I would give Going In Style an 8.5/10.

With comedy movies the failing is often that it focuses too heavily upon the 'gimmick', the simple premise that the film is titled or has been advertised a certain way so that's all the audience wants to see. Going In Style is a phenomenal example of a good comedic feature because it pays attention to the premise but mainly focuses upon the characters and creating an emotional connection between the audience and them. This film has ample amounts of heart when it comes to the storytelling, you can't help but relate to what's going on in some way shape or form and as such you want the heroes of the film to not only succeed, but to live a happy life after robbing the bank. It's a movie about friendship and family; the message is really that you can't let the system keep screwing over good people and it's a message that's going to resonate with people a lot these days. The humour used throughout is a good bit of fun, a lot of sly wit from the leads and some goofy slapstick which makes for a good time for whoever comes along to this film. The score for the film works very well, I felt like I was watching a 90s heist film with that exaggerated tone that really added a lot of tension to key scenes.

Joey King, who played Brooklyn, has some great back and forth with Caine over the course of the film; King does a great job of portraying a teenager who actually feels like a relatable and realistic role. Morgan Freeman, who played Willie, is quite a gentle role who really is the heart of the leading three; the way Freeman plays a role with oncoming health issues is a big point of tension for the film and very well portrayed by him. Alan Arkin, who played Albert, is hilarious as the bitter loud member of leading three; Arkin's reluctance to join Freeman and Caine in becoming a bank robber is a lot of fun to watch especially when he turns out to be one of the best at it. Peter Serafinowicz, who played Murphy, is quite a comedic turn at the deadbeat dad looking for redemption; I like that with the help of Caine, Serafinowicz is able to craft a character that has an emotional payoff to his storyline too. Matt Dillon, who played Hamer, does a great job as the smarmy FBI investigator; the intensity he brings to scenes makes him fairly intimidating in his role. Siobhan Fallon Hogan, who played Mitzi, is one of those classic diner characters with as much sass to dish out as the customers give her; I think Hogan had great chemistry with the three leads which lead to some of the best scenes being in the diner. Kenan Thompson, Precious Sipin and Jojo Gonzalez, who played Keith, Female Security Guard and Male Security Guard respectively, all contribute to one of the funniest 'heist' sequences of the film; these are the only people who are ever capable of bringing our leading heroes 'down' after a stealing spree - the best part being that they're all rather slapstick security guards. Annabelle Chow, who played Lucy, is definitely the cutest character in the cast; her really kind exchange with Freeman makes for a touching moment in the film.

However the best performance came from Michael Caine, who played Joe. Caine presents a lead who is immediately recognisable and relatable, this could be anyone that you'd meet on the street any day of the week and that makes us warm up to him straight away. The firm manner in which Caine argues for what should be fair and the family values he constantly shows throughout make for a great protagonist, one that is easy to understand and get behind. The sharp wit, stream of complaining and stubborn mentality paints him both as a good senior role but also quite a comedic performer. At the end of the day Caine presents an underdog who you want to win it all.

This film follows a very predictable model and it's quite clear how all the scenes and 'big twists' are going to play out, this can take a lot of the surprise out of the feature. Going In Style is also a very 'safe' film, it doesn't really take any risks and gives you a cookie cutter feel-good heist movie, you won't walk out of this film feeling like you've seen anything new or refreshing; rather it's a revitalisation of the 80/90s heist films. The cinematography isn't great either, a lot of the shots are quite simple and don't appear as if they've had much thought put into them. The editing gets clever from time to time but only in sporadic moments, over the course of the whole film cuts come at a slow pace and only spice things up when a fun transition is thrown in.

Ann-Margret, who played Annie, is a rather forced love interest for Arkin; that entire subplot isn't very well done and the film could still thrive without it. Christopher Lloyd, who played Milton, was really the butt of a lot pof the film's humour; I couldn't get behind Lloyd as this goofy geriatric because the comedy felt far too simple. Maria Dizzia, who played Rachel Harding, is really only in this film to complete the Caine's family model; sadly this is a role that would have been better suited to having a couple of scenes that really defined her relationship with either Caine, King or Serafinowicz. John Ortiz, who played Jesus, doesn't have the edge that's needed for a bank robber character; the way he trains the leading protagonists actually comes across as rather lackluster. Josh Pais, who played Chuck Lofton, was far too over the top in this film; Pais' performance got more and more ridiculous as the feature went along. Ashley Aufderheide and Melanie Nicholls-King, who played Kanika and Cary Sachs respectively, were pitched as this emotional connection to Freeman but they didn't have the presence to back that up; Aufderheide brought a lot of energy to her role but didn't really develop the emotional ties needed for a grandfather/granddaughter relationship.