Films/DVD Asylum

The Company You Keep -- There has been a major escape from the Old Actors Home . . .

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Bobby Redford and his endless political essays are usually overly long, short on true substance, and poorly directed. This one is no exception.

Redford focuses on "Weather Underground" which is a band of 60's radical heavily invested in protesting the Viet Nam war and blowing things up. After such a long time Susan Sarandon can take it no more and decides to give herself up but the FBI intercepts her before she can get to the authorities. Terrence Howard plays the heavy-handed Special Agent in charge and is assigned as the "baddie" of the film. Law bad, protesters good...even if they killed somebody. This seems to be Reford's slant on the story.

Shia LeBeouf employs his annoying personality to play a young, ruthless reporter who lives near Reford and Sarandon. He charges hard and uncovers Redford's identity which puts him on the run. The rest of the film is an exposition of the "brotherhood" of radicals that have been in hiding for more than 30 years and shows how they answer the call to help Redford get to Mimi...whom he thinks can clear his name.

I felt the film was about a half hour too long but found Sarandon's performance at the beginning the best of all. She convincingly portrays a woman who still has her idealism but must answer for her crime.

If you care anything about the subject matter and can tolerate Redford's style, then wait for the DVD. It's not worth the pain of two hours plus at the walk in.

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