Going In Style (1979)

C. – 97m
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen
Starring: George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg.

Three bored elderly men decide to pull off a robbery just for kicks. Brilliant dark comedy boasts of fine performances and smart humor. This was remade in 2017 with Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin, Matt Dillon, John Ortiz, Christopher Lloyd and Ann–Margaret. A couple of trivia notes: When George Burns looks through pictures from his younger years and starts to cry, he is looking at a picture of himself and his real-life wife and comedic partner who passed a decade and change before this film was made, Gracie Allen. And: The disguises the robbers use are Groucho Marx glasses with eyebrows and moustache.

Rated: [PG]

Available on DVD from The Warner Archive Collection & Digital Copy.

Going In Style (2017)

C. – 96m
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 – Widescreen

Dir.: Zack Braff

Starring: Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin, Matt Dillon, John Ortiz, Christopher Lloyd, Ann–Margaret.

After three blue-collar retirees are given the shaft by their union and the bank in town, they decide to pull off a robbery in order to live out their days in comfort. Spry remake of the original classic doesn’t have the dark comedy aspect to it, but rather has a silly sense of humor. The cast makes this an appealing remake that can stand on it’s own two feet up against the original. Please note that the masks used by Caine, Arkin and Freeman in their robbery are the faces of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. from their heist film, Ocean’s 11 (1960). Perhaps that added to the fun for this reviewer…

Rated: [PG–13] – Drug Content, Language & Some Suggestive Material.

Available on Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy.