User reviews

In 6 months, Jeff Bridges will turn 73 years old. Indeed, he is an old man. His character makes those grunting noises from the effort of arising in the morning, and you also overhear a very sporadic urine stream in the middle of the night. Starting in Peter Bogdanovich's seminal "The Last Picture Show," Bridges continued to build an enviable career out of numerous carefully drawn roles, each one truly unique and most of them more memorable than the last. He was finally awarded his long overdue Best Actor Oscar for "Crazy Heart" a few years ago, and then last year we almost lost him because of CoVID-19. But he's back as a beat-up old ex-spy and is perfect for and in this latest complex part.

In 4 months, John Lithgow will be 77 years old. Also by most narrow definitions, an old man. Is he the obvious villain of this story, or might he actually be the hero? You are never quite sure with a Lithgow character, and this one's no exception.

Supporting roles for such long-time pros as Amy Brenneman and Joel Gray are also well written and, of course, superbly well performed. But no mistake: this miniseries totally belongs to the one and only Jeff Bridges. And by extension, to all of us who remain his long-time fans more than a half century later. Not to be missed. 9/10.

The Old Man is a spy thriller that is absolutely worth watching! Jeff Bridges is as terrific as always and does an incredible job making you believe he's still a bad ass at 72! His dogs steal every scene they're in and remind me of the dogs from John Wick. The rest of the cast all are at the top of their game here too, especially John Lithgow (who rarely disappoints). I know there are a lot of really good spy shows out there to choose from but this has everything you want from a spy thriller and should definitely be seen. I'm really looking forward to more and recommend this to anyone who's a fan of spy thrillers.

I was really looking forward to watching The Old Man ever since I saw the first trailer trailer. I'm a fan of spy thrillers and Jeff Bridges so I had high expectations going in. Well, it not only met those expectations but exceeded them in every way. The acting, writing, directing, etc. Are all as good as it gets, FX always puts out great content and this show is no different. The only bad thing about this show is we have to wait a week between episodes, I wish they released all them at once like they do on Netflix but since it's on Network tv I get it. Binge watching has ruined me because I just hate waiting a week between episodes now. I'm definitely looking forward to season two of this and just hope it continues to be as good as this season was.

Very well directed by Jon Watts the director of recent Spider-Man trilogy and a horror movie called Clown all of which are excellent too! The Old Man starts off gloriously with the acting, intriguing story and suspense are so good. I'm ready for more maybe without commercials though.

Now that was a first episode if there ever was one.

Terrific to see Bridges looking well and in such great form. Lithgow, as always, a treasure.

This is going to be fun!

This show starts super strong with great actions and a slow roll out of backstory that leaves you very intrigued. Once you are caught up by episode 4, things aren't going so well. Lithgow and Bridges are excellent. Shawcat is kind of a boat anchor, delivering every line almost in monotone. None of the characters are particularly endearing. As the plot development and action slows down after a few episodes, a lot of awkward dialogue fills its place. It seems clear that the writers were trying to recreate the style of The Counselor, screenplay written by Cormac McCarthy, but not doing such a great job. The more literary style of the The Counselor left a lot of viewers confused. How much more so will a bad copy.

I'll keep watching, hoping things get better.

The first two episodes are superb. So far the casting is excellent in the series s The style of acting is very well done by the seasoned Pros Jeff Bridges is fantastic in The Old Man, as is John Lithgow. Amy Frederica Brenneman was what this shows needs; an air of mystery in her character Amy brings it just like she did in HBO's The Leftovers. Her sense of vulnerability play so well with Jeff Bridges even when Jeff wants to get the "hell out of dodge" he is drawn to Zoe McDonald, Amy character there is real chemistry as the two actor play off one another. The Old Man has extremely intelligent writing being raised up by the talent of The Ensemble. This thriller is going in some intriguing directions , I am very keen to watch how this series unfolds ! This is excellent network television . I cant wait till next episode ! Premiere episodes 8/10.

Had high hopes, but 65% is overdrawn dialogue and reaction shots. We get the point, they're scared/concerned/angry. No need for the oversell. Episode 1-2 showed promise, but it seems they didn't discard any edits to help string the series out.

They should play this to insomniacs that don't respond to standard medication.

This will be a short review. Season 1 was great.

In fact the first number of episodes were just epic, Jeff Bridges is sublime. It keeps you totally glued to see what happens next. Good back ground story and he is basically kicking ass, which less face it, is what we want to see from this so called Old man. Well, I know it is what I wanted to see anyway. It did deliver too, in buckets.

Unfortunately, season 2 has started off like a completely different show, slow, boring, bad story, I would almost stretch to say, bad acting from Lithgow. Just all around really the opposite to everything that was great about season 1. Very disappointing so far. It's looking like they should have just made a mini series and left it at that.

Good start, interesting idea that goes downhill. Show becomes more and more unbelievable and unrealistic with every episode. Afghani backstory is boring, the financier element is so far-fetched, Amy B's acting is horrible.

Excellent cast, interesting concept and characters, everything looked like that in the first three episodes, only to be disappointed again with the usual flaws of today's "modern film production".

After the third episode, the show becomes what we are used to seeing today, the script suddenly deteriorates because the producers demand certain things and they must be included in the plot, no matter how artificial and unrealistic it looks.

What looked like an interesting action thriller suddenly turned into a soap opera with forced characters.

The cast is excellent, especially Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow. They really faithfully transfer their characters to the screen. Jeff Bridges is interesting and believable as an aging but dangerous character.

It's a shame, with such a good cast, the show could have been something really special, but as usual, the writers and producers ruined it very quickly.

Boring as Hell. Constant dialogue. Whether it's Jeff Bridge's younger character or his 'older' character. I thought they were going to kill off the Zoe character..oh good...then they didn't. I had to stop watching half through the 5th episode. Why do Directors do this to us? Endless monologues and long conversations. I watched this because I like Jeff Bridges. But not in this one!

But done right. The exhaustion and pain in the fighting scenes are spot on. Anyone who has been in a real street brawl with life at stake knows how fake and nonsense most tv fight scenes are. Only a few shows have ever gotten it right. This is one of them. Another notable realistic tv fight scene was in Deadwood, Hearst's man vs Swearengen's man, the emotion, exhaustion, and desperation. A real drag down brawl is a slog, not a dance.

Anyway. Top rate actors, Bridges and Lithgow, and realism make a generic plot exceptional. Well done.

Some really good things: acting, cinematography, premise, atmosphere, etc. The problem is when it comes to a spy thriller, you need cleverness, but The Old Man has too many plot holes. When super spies behave as if untrained, you no longer have a spy thriller. This is an action flick, at best.

This is one of those rare slowly unfolding gems with high-quality actors. One of my new favorites plays a Young Jeff Bridges. The same guy who played a young Mickey Donovan.

This is a serious effort with excellent performances, writing, etc. However, and this is a big however, the final episode is absurd. FX didn't even have the decency to let the viewer know it was over. It simply went to a commercial (of which there are many) and then, upon return, simply play the credits! What! That was it. I followed every episode looking for a dramatic conclusion. This reminds me of the old saying that the world will end, not with a bang, but with a whimper. The conclusion is insulting; I'm sure those responsible snuck out of the building so no questions could be asked.

The last time I saw a production this good, it was David Mamet's Spartan (2004, with Val Kilmer). I could have sworn Mamet must be involved here (he isn't), but the writers did an excellent job adapting a Thomas Perry stand alone novel which I have not read.

The actors, naturally, are superb. I'm sure glad Jeff Bridges is the most fit 70-something this side of Clint Eastwood, clothed appearances to the contrary. Lithgow, Brenneman, and some lesser know actors deliver great performaces as well.

Most surprising is the directing, which is excellent as well considering the past experience of the director was some CGI-laden Spiderman movies. This guy knows how to do his job very well! So well, you must turn the sound off on a repeat viewing if you want to truly notice it - the sure test of a solid movie (though the soundtrack here is very complimentary).

An absolute 10/10 from me. While familiar enough not to lose viewers, it is necessary to pay attention, especially when few words are spoken. There is some necessary exposition, and requisite action and violence, but this is so far removed from the normal "ex spy" tropes that it is rewarding for fans of the genre. If you like Amazon's Jack Ryan, this ain't it....

A great show that benefits from every second Jeff Bridges is on-screen.

When it drifts off into sub stories and the like, it loses some of its depth and gravitas a little.

A real example of how having a true actor of calibre and depth like Jeff Bridges can add enormously to a movie, mini series or TV show.

John Lithgow adds incredible support and also brings a lot to the table.

Overall I thought the show has a great premise, fascinating storyline and great acting across the board.

The interplay of past and present and how the past can circle back on you is critical, especially when we make decisions in the past when we are young and strong but those decision come back to haunt us when we are older and weaker.

Great, entertaining show.

Just . . . More Jeff Bridges.

Amy B ruins what is otherwise a great story with great casting. Bridges and Lithgow are outstanding! Unfortunately, I'm having an increasingly hard time staying engaged since the introduction of Amy B.

The Old Man has a good bit going for it. Namely Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, and the intrigue of a spy story with problems on all sides.

Sounds good and starts well. The heavy story however weighs on the viewer for both understanding and patience.

I think this series over-reached trying to be deeply mysterious and complicated. Sophisticated story telling doesn't have to be this complex. It takes away from the very realism that The Old Man is selling.

For some this may be a plus, but the bottom line is I'm 6 episodes in and I have no handle on what's going on. The calculated slowness has worn out my patience instead of being fondly hooked in. I'll try to keep watching but it's not very compelling.

Bridges and Lithgow have always been terrific, but this story unfolds like a series of mini-riddles, especially the dialogue between Bridges and his daughter. I'm only half-way through episode 2 and am wondering if it's really going to be worth the effort to find out what compels these people towards what end. Very tedious.