Of course, that legend is Robert Redford, who has stated that “The Old Man & the Gun” is his final film. Flashing his smile and allowing his eyes to twinkle in ways he hasn’t in years, Redford leans into this part as a natural extension of some of his most beloved characters. When he says he’s never ridden a horse before, the line plays like a joke because we can all picture the Sundance Kid atop his steed. 

Here, he plays Forrest Tucker, a lifelong criminal who has been incarcerated 18 times, starting as early as 15, and escaped from most of the prisons that tried to hold him (there's a montage of the escapes that's an absolute delight and even uses some classic Redford film footage). We meet him near the end of his criminal career, as he’s settled into a groove as what could be called a gentleman bank robber. With two buddies who will be known as the Over the Hill Gang (Danny Glover & Tom Waits), Forrest robs banks with a casual opening of his jacket to reveal a gun and kind words for his victims. He tells one teller who starts to cry that she’s doing a great job. He’s encouraging, and it’s essential that he relies on his charm as much as firepower. Lowery never even shows us the gun when Forrest opens his jacket, staying on a face-and-shoulders shot. Those blue eyes and that smile are the real weapons.

The final days of the Over the Hill Gang are framed by two supporting characters. First, there’s Jewel (Sissy Spacek), who Forrest meets as her car has broken down on the side of the road—looking in her trunk serves as good cover as the cops chasing Tucker speed by. Forrest takes a liking to Jewel, even telling her what he does, but she doesn’t believe him. The two often sit in a diner or on Jewel’s large property and the result is cinematic magic. There’s something in these scenes between Redford and Spacek that’s impossible to recreate with any other actors, and Lowery knows it. He leans into the magic of the moment, realizing that he’s there to really capture something timeless and at least somewhat beyond his control. I could watch the two of them just laugh and talk for hours—they make something almost intangible look so effortless.

Second, there’s John Hunt (Casey Affleck), who becomes the lead cop in trying to capture Forrest. He’s the first one to figure there’s even a crime spree taking place. The Over the Hill Gang robs banks in different states and it’s usually small takes. Hunt tracks them down and becomes the Pacino character to Redford’s De Niro one in the “Old 'Heat'” analogy. Affleck is great too, almost impressed by Forrest’s chutzpah as Hunt has just crossed the big 4-0 himself and he too is fascinated by someone who doesn’t just want to “make a living,” he wants to really live. Tucker doesn’t do it for the money. He does it because he’s restless and good at it.