Review: Going in Style

Going in Style is the cinematic equivalent of comfort food - a satisfying mix of drama, comedy, and a heist film, it also offers the opportunity to see old dogs like Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin doing what they do best.

A remake of the 1979 film starring George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg, the story centers around a trio of pensioners who team up to rob their neighbourhood Williamsburg Savings Bank when Wechsler Steel Company, for whom they all worked together for decades, decides to dissolve its pension fund as a result of a corporate merger. Caine plays the ringleader Joe, who finds out that the bank is about to foreclose on his mortgage, which will leave him, his daughter and granddaughter homeless in a month's time. Freeman is Willie, who has been hiding a serious kidney condition from his friends and family. His roommate Albert (Arkin) spends his days kvetching, teaching music, and fending off the advances of grocery store-worker Annie (Ann-Margret, whose magnificent sexiness remains firmly intact).

Willie and Albert are dubious about Joe's idea - Joe may insist that they have the skills and experience but, as Willie points out, they also have gout, arthritis and shingles. Yet Joe persists. Having experienced a bank robbery firsthand, Joe is convinced that they can pull it off. If they do, then it solves all their problems. If they don't, "we get caught, we get a bed, three meals a day, and better health care than we get now." Enlisting the help of Joe's lowlife ex-son-in-law Murphy (Peter Serafinowicz and his acquaintance Jesus (John Ortiz), the trio train for the big heist.

Going in Style is certainly a massive step-up for director Zach Braff, whose last film Wish I Was Here was a pointless mess. Going in Style bounces along, buoyed by the warmth and camaraderie between its three leads, and boasts a handful of visual flourishes such as the split-screen montage that shows their preparation and strategy sessions. The film also makes room for strong supporting turns by the likes of Christopher Lloyd and Kenan Thompson, though Matt Dillon is wasted as the FBI agent investigating the robbery. All in all, it's a heartwarming crowd-pleaser that's fairly difficult to resist.

Going in Style

Directed by: Zach Braff

Written by: Theodore Melfi

Starring: Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin, Joey King, Maria Dizzia, Matt Dillon, Ann-Margret, Christopher Lloyd, Kenan Thompson, John Ortiz, Peter Serafinowicz