The Company You Keep (2013)

Mr. Redford had a message here that has never been heard.

Slow paced, unbelievable plot and surprisingly weak performances by all. Don't waste your time.

Based on the true story of the radical Weather Underground political movement in the US who protested against the Viet Nam war and political establishment.In 1981 a bank raid by former members of the group resulted in a security guard being shot dead. The film looks at the lives of some of the former members who have hidden their past. A local reporter investigates Jim Grant (Robert Redford) and exposes his double life. Grant leaves his daughter and goes into hiding to clear his name, which he does enabling him to return to a normal life, reunited with his daughter.A low key but gripping thriller that focuses on interesting, strong characters. A well made, convincing film that reveals a lesser known aspect of American history.

The Company You Keep welcomes back Robert Redford to the director's chair and compared to his other films, this thriller seems more low-key and it arrives with less fanfare. Now not a fan of politics, I am keenly aware of Redford's political thoughts and thus his stance as a moderate liberal gives this film a conscience. In other words, it's a tense thriller that talks about an important part of our history which is practically the unrest the Vietnam War caused in this country.Robert Redford's film is about a former Weather Underground radical leader named Jim Grant who has been discovered after thirty years of being on the run as he was accused of a bank robbery. Now he is on the run and is forced to meet with old associates of his to prove his innocence and he also has to face the aggressive newspaper reporter named Ben Shepard.This film must have set a record for how many big names appear in this movie. I've never seen so many Oscar-nominated actors and actresses appear in one film. But for the most part, they all do well despite the majority of them having small screentimes. Robert Redford is still a great actor at his age. Since everyone from Susan Sarandon to Stanley Tucci to Brendan Gleeson all do well, I will only mention the weakest actor here and that is Shia LaBeouf. He was annoying at times and he couldn't catch up to everyone's starpower here.Overall, The Company You Keep is a quiet, slow-burning thriller but it has some political questions to ask and for the kind of thriller it is, it's very sharp. It's well-written and features heavy dialogue. I wouldn't call this a cliché thriller since there were some unexpected surprises. It did a good job on holding my interest and I actually learned a thing or two about American history. I rate this film 9/10.