When revolutionary ideals surrender to the realities of adult life, how does a former activist live with the consequences of their youthful decisions? For happily married housewife and mother Sharon Solarz (Susan Sarandon, Cloud Atlas), the strain of decades in hiding after a bank robbery gone wrong finally ends with her arrest on the way to handing herself in, an action stalled until her children were old enough to understand her past proclivities.
Persistent reporter Ben Shepard (Shia LeBeouf, Lawless) refuses to believe that the story ends there; locating Solarz’s missing partners in crime becomes his mission. Local lawyer and recent widower Jim Grant (actor and director Robert Redford) becomes the focus of his investigation as Shepard chases leads and fugitives across the country, drawing the innocent and guilty into his determined pursuit.
With the infamy of anti-war protesters The Weather Underground offering a convenient but nonetheless compelling frame of reference, The Company You Keep chronicles life after radicalism – for those forced to adjust after good intentions turn bad, for the friends and family members unwillingly caught up in the resulting mess, and for a new generation just discovering the drastic deeds of their forebears. The astute and absorbing considerations of Neil Gordon’s 2003 novel of the same name fuel The Company You Keep, as adapted by Lem Dobbs (Haywire).
If the success of a filmmaker was defined by the company he keeps on screen, then the all-star assemblage that populates Redford’s latest venture behind the camera certainly bodes well. Not only does he turn in his own skilled portrayal and guide LeBeouf to his most convincing performance in years, but Redford completes his cast with a veritable who’s who of acting talent – Julie Christie (Red Riding Hood), Nick Nolte (Gangster Squad), Chris Cooper (The Muppets), Brendan Gleeson (Safe House), Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect), Brit Marling (Arbitrage), Richard Jenkins (Jack Reacher) and Stanley Tucci (Jack the Giant Slayer) among them.
As expected, the impressive ensemble proves the feature’s strength, with not one on-screen mis-step in sight. Even as the material stumbles in balancing idolised idealism and simmering tension, the well-rounded characterisations immerse the audience in a thrilling quest for justice. Indeed, the cast provides the film with a texture and resonance that might otherwise have been lacking, their interwoven interactions enriching the tapestry-like narrative. Adriano Goldman’s (360) polished cinematography, Mark Day’s (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) deliberately paced editing and Cliff Martinez’s (Contagion) pulsating score may further the feature’s aesthetic flavour, but the solid if unspectacular end result is best served as an actor’s showcase.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
The Company You Keep
Director: Robert Redford
USA, 2012, 125 min
Release date: April 18
Distributor: Madman
Rated M
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