The Old Man is coming back to FX for its second season, and early reviews suggest it will keep the same mix of mystery and action that made Season 1 so memorable.
This show is another great addition to the action genre, similar to other movies where actors like Liam Neeson, Denzel Washington, and Aaron Eckhart have taken on new roles involving intense action scenes.
The lead in The Old Man is Jeff Bridges, who plays Dan Chase. Chase is a man living quietly with his two dogs. One night, his home is broken into, and Chase responds quickly and violently to the intruders.
Throughout Season 1, we learn about Chase’s past as a CIA agent and meet some old friends and enemies who are determined to capture him.
‘The Old Man’ Season 1: A Game of Cat and Mouse
A major plot point in Season 1 is that Chase is being chased by his former friend, Harold Harper (played by John Lithgow). Harper is now the FBI’s Assistant Director for Counterintelligence. The show reveals that Chase and Harper used to work together in the CIA on a mission in Afghanistan.
The effects of that mission are still felt today. Harper is supported by his team, including his protégé Angela Adams (Alia Shakwat), CIA officer Raymond Waters (E.J. Bonilla), and assassin Julian Carson (Gbenga Akinnagbe).
However, Harper doesn’t realize that Waters, Carson, and another agent, Mike (Echo Kellum), are working for Morgan Bote (Joel Grey), who has connections to both Chase and Harper.
Faraz Hamzad (Navid Negahban), a former Afghan warlord, is in charge of capturing Chase. Hamzad and Chase have a personal history, as Chase had fled to the U.S. with Hamzad’s wife, Belour (Leem Lubany).
Hamzad had discovered that Belour was giving information to Russian operatives during the war. When she refused to reveal the location of a valuable ore deposit, Hamzad threatened her life. Chase and Belour escaped to the U.S. with Harper’s help.
Angela Adams’ True Identity Is Revealed
Early in The Old Man, it is shown that Angela Adams is actually Chase’s daughter, Emily. Waters, Carson, and Mike try to exploit this relationship by taking Adams hostage and making a deal with Chase.
They tell Chase that if he turns himself over to Hamzad, Adams will be freed. Chase agrees to the deal, but when Carson sees suspicious figures approaching, he contacts Harper.
Still from The Old Man (Credit: Hulu)
When Chase and Harper arrive, they find that Carson and Adams are gone, and Waters and Mike are dead. Chase then reveals that Hamzad’s obsession with him is because Belour was pregnant with Hamzad’s child, whom Chase raised as his own.
The core of The Old Man was Chase’s effort to protect his family from his past, but ultimately, the past catches up with him. Additionally, Harper is implicated in the murders of his own men, forcing him to flee with Chase.
Dan Chase Finds Love Again in ‘The Old Man’ Season 1
Aside from dealing with Harper and Hamzad, Chase spends time with Zoe McDonald (Amy Brenneman), a single mother.
Their chemistry is evident and adds depth to the story. However, Zoe eventually gets caught up in the conflict between Chase and Harper. Chase ends up giving her his dogs and saying goodbye.
Though Zoe’s fate seemed uncertain at the end of Season 1, executive producer Dan Shotz confirmed she will return for Season 2.
“Zoe will definitely be back. She’s a key piece of this story, a key connection for Dan. And Amy is such a brilliant actress and partner in this. We’re very excited about Zoe’s story going forward,” he told Deadline.
Challenges in Bringing ‘The Old Man’ to Screen
Creating The Old Man was challenging, according to showrunner Jonathan Steinberg. Season 1 was initially planned to have ten episodes but was reduced to seven due to a COVID-19 shutdown.
Additionally, Jeff Bridges faced health issues, including a cancer diagnosis and COVID-19, but he eventually returned to finish the season.
“Everybody showed such dedication and hung in. We finished it. I appreciate that,” Bridges said.
Despite these obstacles, The Old Man delivers a well-crafted spy thriller, with each episode featuring revelations and action scenes.
Bridges gives a powerful performance, and the show benefits from talented directors like Jon Watts, Greg Yaitanes, Jet Wilkinson, and Zetna Fuentes.
With strong performances and a solid novel by Thomas Perry as its base, The Old Man set a high standard in its first season. It remains to be seen if Season 2 will live up to that level of success.
The Old Man is returning for its second season on FX, continuing the blend of action and intrigue that made Season 1 popular.
Still from The Old Man (Credit: Hulu)
The show stars Jeff Bridges as Dan Chase, a former CIA agent living quietly with his dogs until his past catches up with him.
In Season 1, Chase is pursued by his old friend Harold Harper (John Lithgow), now an FBI Assistant Director, and a team including Angela Adams (Alia Shakwat), who turns out to be Chase’s daughter.
Chase’s conflict with Harper is complicated by the involvement of Faraz Hamzad (Navid Negahban), a former Afghan warlord with a personal vendetta.
Despite behind-the-scenes challenges, including health issues for Bridges, the show delivers strong performances and action. Season 1 set a high bar, and fans are eager to see if Season 2 will continue the success.
Season 1 of The Old Man is available to stream on Hulu, and Season 2 premieres on FX on September 12.
Kevin Smith has been looking into his past for the last few years. Smith has often revisited his favorite characters in his films, and his stories are filled with discussions about entertainment from years ago.
Since his heart attack in 2018, Smith has become even more reflective about his life.
This shift is also seen in his films. In the 2019 film Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, Smith addressed the importance of fatherhood by giving the character Jay (played by Jason Mewes) an estranged daughter (played by Smith’s own daughter, Harley Quinn Smith).
The film also seemed to make Smith rethink his work on stories like Chasing Amy. In his 2022 movie Clerks III, Smith returned to the characters he began his career with, having Randal (Jeff Anderson) and Dante (Brian O’Halloran) create a film at the Quick Stop.
The movie also shows these characters dealing with heart attacks. After a series of strange horror films, it was refreshing to see Smith return to personal stories again.
Smith’s latest film, The 4:30 Movie, feels like his most personal movie since Clerks. It’s a teen movie about spending time with friends at the movies, dealing with friendships, and thinking about a girl you never asked out.
If Smith’s childhood was anything like what we see in this one day of a 1986 New Jersey summer, it’s clear how he became the person he is today and made the films he has.
Smith is at his best when he’s open with his emotions, as he is in The 4:30 Movie. The movie’s sincerity attempts to address the common issues found in Smith’s films, with mixed results.
What Is The 4:30 Movie About?
In The 4:30 Movie, Austin Zajur plays Brian David, a 16-year-old who spends his days sneaking into movies at his local theater and recording his thoughts in a tape recorder as a writing exercise.
His friends, Burny (Nicholas Cirillo) and Belly (Reed Northrup), usually join him. Burny is the group’s ladies’ man, while Belly is often getting into trouble.
Brian David surprises his friends when he invites his long-time crush, Melody Barnegat (Siena Agudong), to join them for a 4:30 movie. Brian and Melody had a brief connection the previous summer, but it took Brian this long to work up the courage to ask her out.
When she agrees, Brian has to figure out how to sneak them into an R-rated movie, avoid the angry theater owner, Manager Mike (a scene-stealing Ken Jeong), and deal with his friends’ frustrations over how this new girl is changing their friendship.
Smith’s films often make small, low-stakes situations seem important to his characters, which fits well with this straightforward teen comedy.
The movie begins with Brian David awkwardly asking Melody out over the phone.
The scene feels clumsy, cheesy, and sincere, like it’s based on a real experience from Smith’s youth. When Melody agrees to go out, Brian’s joy is clear, setting the tone for the film, which has a lot of heart.
Kevin Smith’s Usual Issues in The 4:30 Movie
When the friends arrive at the multiplex, Smith’s usual quirks begin to surface. The friends crack jokes that don’t always land, including a recurring gag where characters say things that will obviously be wrong in the future, like saying post-credit scenes are a thing of the past or that Bill Cosby will always be respected.
The theater is filled with single-scene cameos, which are entertaining at times but seem to be there to fill the movie’s short runtime, which is barely 76 minutes. Smith also includes fake movie trailers that rely on his usual crude humor.
One of the more interesting trailers is a simple horror trailer that doesn’t lean on Smith’s typical jokes and feels like a nod to his horror film past.
There’s also a fake movie within the movie, with clips from Astro Blasters and the Beaver Men, a Flash Gordon parody starring Diedrich Bader and Logic.
While these moments are somewhat amusing, they make it seem like Smith didn’t have enough material for a full movie.
Still from The 4:30 Movie (Credit: Destro Films)
In this middle section of the film, Smith’s common flaws become more apparent. As mentioned before, The 4:30 Movie is very short, but it still feels longer than it should.
Smith lets certain jokes drag on too long, and scenes seem unsure when to end. The writing doesn’t have the energy it needs, and the simple story is pushed aside in favor of cameos, fake movies, and random jokes that don’t hit the mark.
It’s as if Smith feels the need to add elements his fans expect rather than sticking to what serves the story best.
Smith has struggled with this kind of self-referential filmmaking for a while. As the writer, director, and editor, Smith has complete creative control, which allows him to cater to an audience he knows will support his work.
It’s impressive that a filmmaker can still make exactly the movie they want, but The 4:30 Movie shows signs of Smith trying something new, only to fall back into the patterns he thinks his audience expects, for better or worse.
The 4:30 Movie Shines in Its Teen Romance
Once Brian David and Melody Barnegat go on their date and the other characters and jokes fade into the background, The 4:30 Movie regains the charm and youthful joy it started with.
This part of the movie shows a softer, more endearing side of Smith that he should embrace more often.
Zajur and Agudong are delightful together, capturing a version of young love built on genuine admiration for each other.
Zajur’s love of movies is charming and offers a view of what Smith might have been like as a teen, unsure of his future but passionate about film.
Agudong avoids being just the object of Brian’s affection and instead shows that she truly cares for this quirky movie nerd who was too shy to express his feelings.
The movie finds its heart again in the third act, making you wonder if a simple, honest romantic comedy is something Smith should consider making in the future.
One of the last credits in The 4:30 Movie is from Smith, saying, “The Director would also like to thank the Audience for giving him an extended adolescence.” This statement seems like a double-edged sword.
On one hand, the film is at its best when it keeps things simple, focusing on the emotions of young love and the self-discovery of teenage years.
On the other hand, Smith continues to play to his long-time audience, relying on juvenile humor that should have been left behind.
While The 4:30 Movie is a flawed but heartfelt teen comedy that feels rooted in real-life experiences, it stumbles when Smith inserts his usual gimmicks, distracting from the sweet story being told.
Kevin Smith’s latest film, The 4:30 Movie, reflects his fascination with his past, especially after his 2018 heart attack.
The film tells the story of a teen, Brian David, who invites his crush to a movie while showing friendships and awkwardness.
It’s a personal, heartfelt film but struggles with some of Smith’s usual issues, like jokes that don’t always land and unnecessary cameos.
The film shines when it focuses on the sweet teen romance between Brian and Melody, but it sometimes gets bogged down by old habits that detract from the story’s sincerity and emotional depth.
