The Old Guard was released on July 10th this year and has become one of the most popular original films streaming on Netflix this month. Adapted from a graphic novel series by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez that was first published in 2017, The Old Guard follows a group of expert, world-weary (and refreshingly diverse) mercenaries who travel the globe killing terrorists, hiding their identities, and speculating on immortality (hinting at this film's gold mine twist).
The film felt like something from the superhero genre (a team of undefeated fighters killing all the bad guys), but its diligently dark attitude and down-to-earth cinematography helped The Old Guard stand out a bit more in the shoot-em-up, hyper-masculine, visual effects conveyor belt of action movies. Lots of guns and lots of blood splatters are mixed with dialogue that tried to be sincerely plaintive, but it came off as forced or fabricated. Charlize Theron's (Bombshell, 2019) asymmetrical bob haircut looked fierce, but the film's efforts didn't ever reach a fierce level.
The Old Guard is moderately exciting and offers some fun ideas about heroism and history, but it doesn't feel inspired enough (or mature enough) to be special. Not to worry though, this film ends with room for a sequel.
