Themes: Unlikely Criminals, Fish Out of Water, Golden Years
Main Cast: George Burns, Art Carney, Lee Strasberg, Charles Hallahan
Release Year: 1979
Country: US
Run Time: 97 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Joe (George Burns), Al (Art Carney), and Willie (Lee Strasberg) are three senior citizens who share a small apartment in New York City. They live off social security checks and spend their days sitting on a park bench, reading newspapers, feeding pigeons, and fending off obnoxious children. It's a dull life, and finally Joe is driven to suggest something radical to break the monotony; why not go on a stick up? None of them have a criminal history (though Joe claims he "did some stealing during the war"), but just planning the bank robbery puts a new spring in their step. Al surreptitiously borrows some pistols from the collection of his nephew, Pete (Charles Hallahan), and the trio, disguised with novelty Groucho Marx-style glasses, pulls off their heist to the tune of 35,000 dollars. Unfortunately, the excitement is too much for Willie, who suffers a fatal heart attack the same day. At his funeral, Joe and Al decide to give the bulk of the dough to Pete and his family, and attempt to blow the rest of it on a whirlwind excursion to Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the eccentric robbery has become a colorful news story for the media and the police are closing in on the amateur criminals. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
Review
This bittersweet comedy-drama was the first major project for director Martin Brest, who would later hit blockbuster status with the very different Beverly Hills Cop. It's remarkable that the then 28-year-old Brest (who also wrote the screenplay) could forge a film that examined the dreams and lives of elderly men with such sensitivity, not to mention providing three veteran performers with such an excellent showcase for their talents. In lesser hands, the story of three senior citizens who rob a bank for kicks might have found humor at the expense of its subjects, but Brest treats his characters with respect, focusing on their lonely boredom and the fleeting sense of power they enjoy while staging the holdup. There are a number of delightful scenes that express the exhilaration the men feel just for finally having something to do, not the least of which is Art Carney's free-spirited dance to a group of street musicians. When the bank customers fail to take the elderly criminals seriously, George Burns makes his point in spades by shooting a clock, and the final view of the robbery is a wonderful overhead shot that finds the trio holding a roomful of disbelieving younger folks flat on the floor at gunpoint. Unfortunately, the triumph is short-lived, and they find themselves right back on the park bench wondering just what they're going to do with all the cash. There's barely a wrong note in Going in Style, and the melancholy tone balances with genuine laughs to create a tremendously human picture that's well worth seeking out. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
Reathel Bean - FBI Agent; Anthony Call; Tony di Benedetto - Prison Guard; Tito Goya - Gypsy Cab Driver; Constantine Hartofolis - Boy in Park; Siobhan Keegan - Colleen; James Manis - Hot Dog Vendor; Mark Margolis - Prison Guard; Bob Maroff - Cab Driver; Brian Neville - Kevin; William Pabst - Bank Guard; Pamela Payton-Wright - Kathy; Jean Shevlin - Mrs. Fein; Margot Stevenson - Store Cashier; Joseph Sullivan - Moon; Mary Testa - Teller; Paul L. Smith - Radio Announcer; Karen Montgomery - Hooker; Betty Bunch - Cashier; Christopher Wynkoop - Bank Manager; Alan Brooks - FBI Agent
Credit
Fred R. Price - Art Director, Gary Weist - Art Director, Anna Hill Johnstone - Costume Designer, Martin Brest - Director, Robert Swink - Editor, C. Timothy O'Meara - Editor, Leonard Gaines - Executive Producer, Michael Small - Composer (Music Score), Stephen Hendrickson - Production Designer, Billy Williams - Cinematographer, Tony Bill - Producer, Fred T. Gallo - Producer, Herb Mulligan - Set Designer, James J. Sabat - Sound/Sound Designer, Martin Brest - Screenwriter, Edward Cannon - Short Story Author
Joe (Burns), Al (Carney), and Willie (Strasberg) are three senior citizens who share a small apartment in New York City. They live off social security checks and spend their days sitting on a park bench, reading newspapers, feeding pigeons, and fending off obnoxious children. It is a dull life, and finally Joe is driven to suggest something radical to break the monotony: why not go on a stick up? None of them have a criminal history (though Joe claims he "did some stealing during the war"), but just planning the bank robbery fills them with optimism. Al surreptitiously borrows some pistols from the collection of his nephew, Pete (Charles Hallahan), and the trio, disguised with novelty Groucho Marx-style glasses, pulls off their heist to the tune of USD$35,000 dollars.
Unfortunately, the excitement is too much for Willie, who suffers a fatal heart attack the same day. At his funeral, Joe and Al decide to give the bulk of the money to Pete and his family, and attempt to blow the rest of it on a whirlwind excursion to Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the eccentric robbery has become a colorful news story for the media and the police are closing in on the amateur criminals. The night after their return from Vegas, Al dies in his sleep, leaving Joe by himself. On his way to Al's funeral, Joe is arrested. When Al's nephew Pete arrives to visit Joe in prison, he asks Pete not to bother. Joe explains that he gets three square meals a day, and generally is getting "treated like a king around here." The movie ends as Joe is being escorted back to his cell post-visit.
