In November 6, 2001, the Joss Whedon’s fictional heroine Buffy Summers is on patrol at a nearby cemetery while singing about her frustrations–her lack of motivation and purpose; how she’s just going through the motions.
She’s weary but has no choice but to carry on with her Slayer duties because… what else can she do?
She’s been doing it for so long it has become part of her every fiber. It basically defines her being.
She was recently resurrected from the dead (for the second time) and now that she’s had a taste of heaven (literally) she feels like everything here on Earth feels empty and purposeless. But she knows the duty she needs to fulfill. She knows she has to save the world every single day–even when it doesn’t give any sense of satisfaction.
In similar ways, Andy (Andromache of Scythia), played by Charlize Theron, has been going through the motions for thousands of years. She leads a group of immortals–warriors who have done a lot of good for the planet. She’s at the point where she’s had enough of the bloodshed but can’t seem get away from the life that has imprisoned her.
Forced out of sabbatical, Andy and her team: Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) were commissioned by ex-CIA agent James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) to rescue a group of kidnapped kids in South Sudan.
When things went awry, Andy had no choice but to go on one more mission to avoid exposure. They then discover a new recruit, another immortal in the form of former Marine Nile (KiKi Layne) who they had to bring into the fold.
Weighed heavily down by reluctance, Andy dives back into the life she wants to escape from. Even though resigned to the fact that the world will not change for the better (“the world isn’t getting better; it’s getting worse”), their need for survival becomes her motivation to, once again, go through the motions.
But there’s more at stake this time.
Adapted from a comic book series of the same name created and written by Greg Rucka (who also penned the script), The Old Guard gives us a solid action-drama flick that that has the right balance of historical fiction and present-day woes.
Despite a thin screenplay (Rucka), director Gina Prince-Bythewood created a believable world for the characters who, individually, were able to provide us glimpses of their rich backstories. One of the things I liked in the movie is the manner in which the flashbacks were introduced without diluting the impact of the scene. In fact, the flashbacks made the story even more interesting because you feel the urge to learn more, see more of these.
We saw plenty of action as well. Whether it’s a hand-to-hand combat or raining bullets on each other, the action scenes were choreographed really well especially in terms of the camera movements.
Unlike in some movies where the intercut of tight shots, for example, can disrupt the flow of the action or when the camera pans and tilts abruptly, making it hard to make out what we’re looking at exactly. Here, the shots are fluid even when the action is fast. The rhythm is uninterrupted, making the fight scenes look like a dance where the other characters’ movements are connected.
It can be quite challenging to execute fast-paced action scenes that maintain a smooth rhythm. I only say this because I’ve seen action sequences that disappoint. And when you add the fact that it’s Charlize Theron swinging an axe, firing guns, and throwing punches and kicks, things are more than good.
What’s less remarkable is the score. The film could have gone with a different set of songs to complement certain scenes. But overall, that’s a small detail we can let slide because The Old Guard is an overall entertaining watch that you won’t mind watching again (in fact, I just did).
I wouldn’t be surprised if a sequel comes along.
The Old Guard is now streaming on Netflix
