Growing old is certainly not for the faint of heart, which we have seen addressed on countless occasions in a range of films, many of which focus on how challenging it is to reach an advanced age in a society that sometimes neglects its senior citizens. Few films have been able to capture the experience with as much detail as Going in Style, the directorial debut of Martin Brest, who has become something of a journeyman in the history of New Hollywood, helming many films that mainly function as vehicles for the actors, but where Brest does not always receive the credit he deserves. The story of a trio of elderly men who grow tired of living only on the measly Social Security cheques they receive every month and ultimately decide to take matters into their own hands by robbing a bank, is fertile ground for an insightful and blisteringly funny satire, but one that has a great deal of complexity in how it handles some of the material, so much that we rarely feel like we are not in the most secure hands when observing the trials and tribulations of these characters. A hilariously effervescent comedy that proves the value of not taking a film like this at face value (since there is a lot more to be found embedded in this story than initially meets the eye), Going in Style is one of the best comedies of its era, a charming but poignant examination of the experience of growing old in a society that may claim to adore its elderly, but only while they are useful – and through assembling a great set of ideas and a terrific cast that interpreted them, Brest manages to defy expectations and deliver something so extraordinarily meaningful, its difficult to see it as anything less than an absolute triumph for a director who rarely receives the kudos he deserves, if only for his attempts to make well-rounded, compelling entertainment.

The heist comedy is a trope as old as art itself – there’s always something so compelling about the story of well-meaning underdogs going against the ferocious institutions that embody both excess and cruelty, and making them pay for their misdeeds, often quite literally. Spanning from the antiquity, right through to the modern age, the idea of stealing from the rich to give to the poor has been a constant source of artistic inspiration. Going in Style features the same approach, but looks at it less from a scathing perspective (since the film does not really contain any discernible villain, outside of the social system as a whole), and more from one in which three old men decide to commit a crime just to see if they can do it, with the socio-cultural commentary coming about afterwards, which is where the film is at its peak. It divides the film into two separate chapters, with the first focusing on their heist. These are the portions of Going in Style that are undeniably the funniest – filled with a kind of irreverent humour that we don’t often find when it comes to films that prioritize the details. This is not Reservoir Dogs or Ocean’s Eleven in terms of how the first act is spent carefully plotting out every intricate aspect of the plan (which is undoubtedly compelling, but doesn’t quite work in terms of these characters and their skillset – Brest does make sure that they are believable, even at their most eccentric), but it is wonderfully endearing to see the plan come together, especially since it is all done with the knowledge that this plot is far from plausible, and is really just being constructed for our enjoyment, which takes a sharp turn midway through when we realize how far the story is actually willing to take these characters. Going in Style dares to be the rare kind of heist film where the heist itself occurs midway through, rather than taking place in the climactic moments – and this ultimately opens up the possibility of a deeper and more profound commentary, which is part of the second act of this fascinating film.

A mere cursory glance at Going in Style should excite anyone with a love of the entertainment industry, since the three central roles are occupied by a trio of the finest professionals in the history of show business. Comedy icons George Burns and Art Carney (both of whom were integral to the development of television as a legitimate medium) and the brilliant Lee Strasberg, whose acting methods gave us generations of the greatest performers to ever work in the medium, were rounded up and placed in these roles, and gave some of their very best performances. Selecting a standout is difficult – Strasberg is gentle, Carney is incredibly charming, and Burns holds court as the leader of the three. Without one of these performances, the film would not have been nearly as effective, especially since so much of the story depends on the interplay between the three actors. None of them are doing groundbreaking work in the traditional sense, but there is an argument to be made that there is much more to these performances than just older actors playing similar characters on screen (which often happens in films that assemble legendary performers, almost as if their presence excuses the need for complexity). Over the course of the film, the interactions between the characters feels so authentic – we get the feeling that these are people who have been friends for years (and considering their longevity in the industry, their paths certainly crossed before making this film), giving Going in Style a sense of gravitas that would simply not have been present in less-gifted actors, or those who were not able to play into the fact that this is a film primarily about friendship more than anything else.

Perhaps what takes the viewer by surprise more than anything else when it comes to Going in Style is how the comedic exterior conceals a sense of deep melancholia. The realization that this is a crime comedy with very little criminal activity in it may seem peculiar, but it makes sense when we start to notice that what Brest was doing here was far deeper and more profound than anything that could have been done had he not found the space to explore more complex ideas. Undoubtedly, everyone points to the fact that this film is as much about friendship as it is about ageing, fading away into the background while the younger generations start to take over, and being pushed away from the epicentre, viewed as nothing more than a remnant of the past. It can often be quite heartbreaking, so kudos has to be given to the three actors who occupy the main roles, since a lot of this film required them to balance both comedy and drama in equal measure (which is especially impressive in terms of Burns’ performance, since not only is he the central character, but he proves that beneath the eccentric humour there is a deeply gifted dramatic actor, something he had not been able to showcase too often in the past. There’s a lingering sadness that persists throughout the film and makes for a very compelling sense of emotion in those moments that feel like they needed a slightly more dramatic tone, which adds to the deep sense of melancholy and sentimentality that keeps the film afloat and makes it so endearing.

Going in Style is a great example of a film that is so much more than initially meets the eye. At first, we expect this to be a hilarious, outrageous comedy about a trio of eccentric old men that commit crimes and somehow manage to get away with it through a combination of their street smarts and undying charisma, which is enough to get absolutely anyone out of a precarious situation – and while this is mostly true, it serves to only be the introduction to a film that is incredibly daring and provocative, carrying itself with an immense amount of nuance and humour that is sharply undercut by a sense of deep sadness that allows more complex ideas to filter thorough, and which ultimately leads to a film that dares to be different in ways that are often difficult to fully comprehend until we’re confronted with these peculiarities directly. Anchored by three marvellous performances by some true legends of the industry (all of whom are doing terrific work, perhaps some of their very best if we look at it objectively), and told with the kind of fervent dedication that we don’t often find in contemporary cinema, Going in Style is an astonishing, wonderfully concise and complex film that offers us a lot more than we’d expect from the start, which only makes it an even more captivating work.