The Old Man, the new FX series starring Oscar winner Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), is a series that takes its time.
The series’ methodical approach – particularly in the premiere episode – allows the development of tension, character, mystery, and backstory to slowly unfold, and when the timing is right, everything explodes into wonderfully crafted violence.
The series revolves around Dan Chase (Bridges), a seemingly normal retiree living in a small town. His existence is quiet, routine-based, and sadly scarred by the apparent mental health issues his wife experienced in her final days.
Yet, at the same time, there’s something very different about Dan. He’s constantly looking over his shoulder, he microwaves his cell phone, and there’s something he’s hiding – particularly from his daughter. All of his odd behavior could easily be chalked up to an aging man who’s lost without his wife. That is until someone tries to kill him in his home, and Chase executes him with surgical precision (and the aid of his two highly trained dogs).
On the other end of the series is Harold Harper (John Lithgow, Shrek), a grandfather who is trying to keep a brave, happy face on for his grandson, hiding his grief over the loss of his child and her partner. However, within the span of one call, this grieving grandfather transforms into a calculating intelligence officer, working with the same surgical precision Chase does. Harper must oversee the hunting of Chase, a man who Harper worked with decades ago who he shares a dark, dirty governmental secret with.
The Old Man’s pacing allows for both Lithgow and Bridges to grow into their roles throughout the episode. We see them both evolve from seemingly quiet, grieving older men back into their most deadly and violent forms. This evolution allows the audience to accept both actors in roles that general audiences probably aren’t used to these days. This applies mostly to Bridges who plays Chase as more Lethal Weapon than Lebowski. To see Bridges be so serious and so physically violent would be incredibly jarring, but the decision to let this series take its time softens the blow.
Director Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming) does an incredible job with the pacing of the premiere and his decision to exclude a score from tense situations only increases the anxiety of scenes. A perfect example of this is during a phone conversation between Lithgow and Bridges’ characters. This scene is a literal master class in acting as the sheer amount of complex emotion conveyed in this scene is astounding. Every word is imbued with a rich history of mutual respect, mutual contempt, and each man’s willingness to burn everything to the ground to protect themselves. It’s just an awesome scene that not only is just a magnificent display of acting, but also a series-defining moment.
Watts’ allowance of the actors, and literally just the actors, to dominate the scene and build the rising tension of it by performance alone hooks the audience so tightly. You cannot wait to see how this conflict is going to explode, and when it explodes, the stakes feel palpable and the violent payoff feels earned.
The Old Man is a series that allows tension and character to build naturally and methodically over the entire premiere episode. An audience must have patience with the slow-burn storytelling employed here as the payoff is worth the wait.
The Old Man is now streaming on FX on Hulu and airs Thursday on FX.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL2lhM_kDPM
