The Old Guard
Oscar winner Charlize Theron and Kiki Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk) lead this Netflix action film as mercenaries whose secret ability, immortality, threatens to become public knowledge. From director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Beyond the Lights), co-starring Matthias Schoenaerts (The Danish Girl) and Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave).
Led by a warrior named Andy (Theron), a covert group of tight-knit mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries. But when the team is recruited to take on an emergency mission and their extraordinary abilities are suddenly exposed, it’s up to Andy and Nile (Layne), the newest soldier to join their ranks, to help the group eliminate the threat of those who seek to replicate and monetize their power by any means necessary.
Greg Rucka, co-creator of the comic the film's based on, also wrote the screenplay.
- Director:
- Gina Prince-Bythewood ('Beyond the Lights')
- Writer:
- Greg Rucka
- Cast:
- Charlize TheronKiKi LayneMarwan KenzariLuca MarinelliHarry MellingVan Veronica NgoMatthias SchoenaertsChiwetel Ejiofor
Reviews & comments
Flicks, Daniel Rutledge
flicksCharlize Theron rocks swords, fantasy art axes, a truckload of different firearms, and a ferocious fringe in this proudly B-grade superhero tale. Annoyingly, director Gina Prince-Bythewood mostly hides great choreography behind bad editing and creates most of the actual violence digitally rather than with practical effects. It’s a shame, because it looks like there’s some real good shit is going on underneath all the rapid cuts and we know Theron can throw down with the best of them after Atomic Blonde. Still, there are enough flickers of excitement to entertain fairly well.
Stuff
pressWhile there are a couple of interesting twists, there is an air of predictability and inevitability about proceedings, especially given the story’s obvious franchise potential, and a couple of times when things really don’t make a lick of sense...
The Guardian
pressNot even Charlize Theron can save an action movie crying out for a comic touch to match the silliness of its premise.
Empire Magazine
pressDespite some solid action beats and a story that skips from Sudan to Afghanistan, Paris and, finally, Guildford, The Old Guard is a trite revenge/conspiracy yarn, clumsily told, and squanders a potentially engaging conceit.
Total Film
pressEven an axe-swinging Charlize Theron struggles to wallop much life – endless or otherwise - into Gina Prince-Bythewood’s comic-book riff, a derivative fantasy-actioner so laggy it puts you right off immortality.
IGN
pressThe story opens the door to a fascinating mythology of ancient warriors and immortality, although things get a little clunky when it comes time to explain how it all works. Still, The Old Guard is well worth watching if you’ve got an itch for something new.
Variety
pressIn a watchable franchise wannabe, Charlize Theron leads a team of immortals who are also B-movie renegades.
Hollywood Reporter
pressThere's a pleasing sweep to the storytelling, which jumps across settings in Africa, Southern Asia, rural France and London. Prince-Blythewood has used TV experience on Cloak & Dagger and Shots Fired as a stepping stone to a more action-driven movie than her previous work.
IndieWire
pressCharlize Theron stars in a comic-book movie with a point of view, creating a marriage of expectations and twists unlike little else in the genre.
Flicks, Daniel Rutledge
flicksCharlize Theron rocks swords, fantasy art axes, a truckload of different firearms, and a ferocious fringe in this proudly B-grade superhero tale. Annoyingly, director Gina Prince-Bythewood mostly hides great choreography behind bad editing and creates most of the actual violence digitally rather than with practical effects. It’s a shame, because it looks like there’s some real good shit is going on underneath all the rapid cuts and we know Theron can throw down with the best of them after Atomic Blonde. Still, there are enough flickers of excitement to entertain fairly well.
Stuff
pressWhile there are a couple of interesting twists, there is an air of predictability and inevitability about proceedings, especially given the story’s obvious franchise potential, and a couple of times when things really don’t make a lick of sense...
The Guardian
pressNot even Charlize Theron can save an action movie crying out for a comic touch to match the silliness of its premise.
Empire Magazine
pressDespite some solid action beats and a story that skips from Sudan to Afghanistan, Paris and, finally, Guildford, The Old Guard is a trite revenge/conspiracy yarn, clumsily told, and squanders a potentially engaging conceit.
Total Film
pressEven an axe-swinging Charlize Theron struggles to wallop much life – endless or otherwise - into Gina Prince-Bythewood’s comic-book riff, a derivative fantasy-actioner so laggy it puts you right off immortality.
IGN
pressThe story opens the door to a fascinating mythology of ancient warriors and immortality, although things get a little clunky when it comes time to explain how it all works. Still, The Old Guard is well worth watching if you’ve got an itch for something new.
Variety
pressIn a watchable franchise wannabe, Charlize Theron leads a team of immortals who are also B-movie renegades.
Hollywood Reporter
pressThere's a pleasing sweep to the storytelling, which jumps across settings in Africa, Southern Asia, rural France and London. Prince-Blythewood has used TV experience on Cloak & Dagger and Shots Fired as a stepping stone to a more action-driven movie than her previous work.
IndieWire
pressCharlize Theron stars in a comic-book movie with a point of view, creating a marriage of expectations and twists unlike little else in the genre.
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