The Company You Keep (2013)

Robert Redford’s new thriller The Company You Keep is a strange creature. Made with Redford’s usual flair for the dramatic, it stars Redford as Jim Grant, one of four people who are wanted by the government for being radicals back in the early 70s and for being responsible for a murder that took place during a bank robbery. At the beginning of the film, the FBI has caught up with one of these folks, masquerading as a simple housewife, and Grant realizes that his cover as a lawyer will soon crack through. Thanks in part to the eager investigation of a young reporter (Shia LeBeouf),Grant is forced to leave his daughter and go on the run. As the reporter continues to go beyond his simple assignment, he uncovers new truths about Grant’s guilt.

Robert Redford has been a staple of Hollywood for decades now. Once a leading man that could be in the same movie with Paul Newman and still get top billing and now a sporadic director who can do superb things with the right material (see The Conspirator). The Company You Keep was the wrong material. It’s an action thriller that spends almost all its time with extended scenes of dialogue. It’s a political movie that takes no real stance on any real issue. It’s a talkative drama that doesn’t have much of anything to say. That’s not to say that the movie isn’t entertaining, because it somehow manages to be, despite its inherent emptiness. That’s partly due to Redford’s competence as a filmmaker; he paces the picture well and knows when and when not to put on his serious face. It’s also partly due to the parade of celebrity cameos that the movie really is. There are dozens of characters here, all played by famous faces and all with only a scene or two to make an impression. Some of them do, like Susan Sarandon in a scene of hypnotic power. Others, like Richard Jenkins, just don’t have anything to do.

I suppose seeing Robert Redford, Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Brendan Gleeson, Nick Nolte, Richard Jenkins, Sam Elliott, Anna Kendrick, Terrence Howard, Chris Cooper, Stanley Tucci and Brit Marling all in the same movie is why this is a movie worth seeing at all. It certainly isn’t good because of its story, which is nearly non-existent and wraps up altogether too neatly for my tastes. Also, I don’t think the casting of LeBeouf was a very good decision, because, for a character with more screen time than anybody, he’s a little too smug for his own good. Regardless, this is a fun picture to watch purely for the vast amount of talented individuals brought together to create this spectacle of great character acting. I suppose that’s why Redford made the movie to begin with, as a nod to the age bracket who actually witnessed these people in their hey-day. And there’s nothing wrong with a little reminiscing now and then.

7/10