The Old Man

The star defies his age and throws himself into this entertaining thriller, with fellow septuagenarian John Lithgow providing fine support.

He was a good guy but did some bad things in the name of the US government, and his past is finally catching up with him. You will release this at around the 15-minute mark, when someone breaks into Chase's house and he shoots them, sets up the scene to fool the police, then grabs a stash of guns and money from under the floorboards. Chase lives a solitary existence with only his two dogs for company, and a concerned daughter on the end of the phone.

There's some superb viewing from today as new drama The Old Man stars Jeff Bridges and Amy Brenneman, Kenneth Branagh leads the cast as Boris Johnson in ...

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Bridges plays an ex-CIA agent who has been in hiding for decades. Now, he's paranoid old enemies are out to get him. Are they? Of course!

I thought The Old Man was going to be another spy thriller, the kind of thing where gruff blokes shout and shoot. It becomes clear by the end of the second episode that there is far more to The Old Man than car crashes and bloody fight scenes. Harper is reeling from a recent family tragedy but he has “skin in the game”, having worked with Bridges’ character long ago in Afghanistan. But Bridges’ main co-star, the cat to his mouse, is John Lithgow as Harold Harper, an assistant director at the FBI, who is tasked with helping track Chase down. For a start, there’s Bridges, magnetic in every scene, whether he is rolling around on the floor with a much younger and fitter enemy, or driving away from conflict, making a split-second decision that might have catastrophic consequences. It sets itself up as a meaty action thriller in the vein of Taken, with

Time to get cosy with the best of this week's TV (Picture: Kurt Iswarienko/FX/Natalie Seery/Sasidis Sasisakulporn/Netflix/Delroy Matty/Amazon Prime Video).

[Jeffrey Dahmer victim’s family ‘retraumatised’ by Netflix series Monster](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/23/jeffrey-dahmer-victims-family-retraumatised-by-netflixs-monster-17439170/?ico=more_text_links) Available now. [Bake Off stars Sandro and Rebs spark romance rumours with cosy pictures and fans are here for it](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/27/bake-off-stars-sandro-and-rebs-spark-romance-speculation-with-pictures-17458742/?ico=more_text_links) [Jamie Dornan](https://metro.co.uk/tag/jamie-dornan/) in Australia-set The Tourist, returns for a third outing as police detective Andri, teamed up once more with the delightfully offbeat Hinrika (Ilmur Kristjansdottir). [Afghanistan](https://metro.co.uk/tag/afghanistan/?ico=auto_link_entertainment_P6_LNK1), and Lithgow’s FBI big cheese is determined to root them out. [Disney](https://metro.co.uk/tag/disney/?ico=auto_link_entertainment_P3_LNK1)+ must-see thriller and the release of what is set to be a classic Channel 4 teen comfort watch, and much more.

Screen portrayals of life as a senior citizen have evolved in recent years and in a healthy way. Comedy-dramas such as Grace and Frankie and The Kominsky.

[The Kominsky Method](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tv-review-the-kominsky-method-people-just-do-nothing-narcos-mexico-they-shall-not-grow-old-c5q7wbnx3) may be autumnal but they dispel stereotypes — it’s never too late for romance and all that. Screen portrayals of life as a senior citizen have evolved in recent years and in a healthy way. That said, it’s a curious series, apparently wanting to have its old cake and chew on it slowly: half the time it’s a downbeat portrait of encroaching senescence — of regret and depression — the rest of the time it’s a rallying cry not to underestimate the

Stefan Pape interviews Alia Shawkat, Amy Brenneman, EJ Bonilla & Gbenga Akinnagbe on the Jeff Bridges starring drama series The Old Man.

Not only does The Old Man possess two formidable performances in Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow, but it also delivers a Disney+ drama packed with genuine ...

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Detective Inspector Michael Winters said: “It was reported to police that two men entered a property and assaulted another man with metal bars. “The men left ...

“One of the men was wearing black tight jeans and black and white trainers, while the other man was wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans. An investigation is under way after it was reported that a man was assaulted with metal bars during a burglary at a property in the Cavandale area of Enniskillen on Wednesday. Detective Inspector Michael Winters said: “It was reported to police that two men entered a property and assaulted another man with metal bars.

The overaged action hero used to be a novelty in television and films. Now it's practically become a trope.

The “something” unfolds gradually in flashbacks featuring Bill Heck, a passable enough lookalike for Bridges in his younger days. But then more goons turn up on his tail, which ultimately takes us to that cracker of a fight scene. Chase knows he’s a pro from the silencer on his gun and shoots him dead with professional efficiency. We don’t see her, just hear her voice (there’s a good reason for this that will become apparent further down the line). He has an old man’s bladder and an old man’s fears. What makes it special is that the fight scenes are more realistic than your average bruise-free Hollywood affair.

The star spoke exclusively with RadioTimes.com about playing an ageing action hero in new Disney Plus drama The Old Man.

[subscribe now](http://radiotimes.com/magazine-subscription?utm_term=evergreen-article) and get the next 12 issues for only £1. Also on Chase’s tail is Julian Carson (The Wire’s Gbenga Akinnagbe), a highly-trained special ops contractor. "Amy was such a wonderful actor to work with," Bridges adds. And it seems Bridges will need his new-found dog-handling skills and combat muscle memory for a while yet. He’s called upon to lead the man-hunt for fugitive Chase due to the pair’s shady past together. "My father, Lloyd Bridges, did a bunch of TV series and back in those days, there was never enough time to make the quality work you wanted. "My character has these two Rottweilers but in reality, there were half-a-dozen dogs, each hired for a particular trick or speciality. Basically, acting is an advanced game of pretend, like you play when you’re a kid. "I had a lot of fun," he says. When an intruder arrives at Chase’s remote cabin and attempts to assassinate him, the veteran operative is forced out of hiding. You don’t have to rush and tell the story too quickly. But then seeing these great TV shows coming out now, I thought, wow, I want to explore that medium."

“I thought The Old Man was going to be another spy thriller, the kind of thing where gruff blokes shout and shoot. But oddly enough, when the pace slows ...

Several storylines involve lost keys or head injuries, suggesting a dearth of ideas. “Anyone hoping for a Downing Street version of Wolf Hall – or indeed The Crown – may have been disappointed. [Michael Hogan, The Telegraph](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2022/09/29/hate-review-channel-4s-latest-sitcom-absolute-dogs-dinner/) Flashes of surrealism include a talking horse. He paces and preens (not helped by a script that gives him lines like, “power is an aphrodisiac and absolute power is absolutely aphrodisiacal”) and the audience is constantly reminded that this is supposed to be BORIS JOHNSON. “The natural intelligence of Bridges’s acting, and an overall emphasis on character, helps with some plausibility issues in the plot — such as a romance with a motel owner (Amy Brenneman) — while stopping things becoming too Liam Neeson. His ridiculous posture fails to capture any of the bumbling charisma or overgrown schoolboy charm of the real Boris. It’s a criticism that extends to the whole of this six-part docudrama” But this is a thoughtful drama and hopefully a more incisive portrait will emerge.” “I thought The Old Man was going to be another spy thriller, the kind of thing where gruff blokes shout and shoot. [Anita Singh, The Telegraph](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2022/09/28/old-man-review-jeff-bridges-rages-brawls-against-dying-light/) For an action thriller, though, it can still be a bit slow at times.

TV: Disney+'s spy series is slow and talky. But it's worth slogging through to see Bridges and John Lithgow throw sparks off one another.

But in that unpromising swirl of septuagenarian indignity Bridges locates the essence of a gutsy and compelling story. He’s gone rickety and grumpy, and it’s a chore to visit the toilet. Were this a big Hollywood production, we would no doubt have to endure the ghoulish gimmick of a digitally dewrinkled Bridges. A sequence in which he totters to the loo unfolds like a set piece before the credits in a Bond movie. The Old Man is slow and talky (and huffy whenever Bridges has to get up and walk). I’ve the perfect sentence to sum up Irish identity](/culture/tv-radio/2022/09/23/patrick-freyne-intellectuals-you-can-stop-writing-ive-the-perfect-sentence-to-sum-up-irish-identity/) [‘It’s like a different planet,’ says an awestruck Ray D’Arcy.