The Old Guard

Introduction

There was so much social media frenzy about the movie 'The Old Guard'. It was massive — a lot like the build-up to the ‘Extraction' movie. Not a surprise considering Netflix is not known for doing quiet or small. They tend to go big or go home. I really hoped it would be worth the hype and guess what, it was.

I enjoyed the movie from start to finish. Some movies start well, then kind of taper off and lose their shine. Some start slow then pick up while others are a disaster from start to finish. Not The Old Guard! The movie was a delight to watch. Beautifully executed!

It wasn’t just the Charlize Theron (Mad Max Fury Road) or Kiki Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk) or Chiwetalu Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave) appeal. The writers, directors, producers, crew, and cast put in the work to make sure the filming was seamless. I'm not one to fuss about technicalities but a good movie is a good movie. Right?

It’s kind of hard to classify The Old Guard. You've got a group of badass mercenary warriors but not quite an action film. A group of immortals doing good throughout history but not quite a superhero movie. A group of real humans regretful of the past and experiencing too much of humanity’s frailty but yet not a drama. It has been listed as an action fantasy, an action-adventure fantasy, and a superhero movie. But hey! It doesn’t matter what you call it, The Old Guard is lit

About This Movie

The Old Guard is a 2020 action fantasy movie written by Greg Rucka based on his comic book of the same name and directed by Gina Price Blythewood. The impressive cast includes Charlize Theron, Kiki Lane, Chiwetalu Ejiofor, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Harry Melling, and Van Veronica Ngo among others

Synopsis

Four immortal warriors, Andromache of Scythia aka Andy(Charlize Theron); Sebastian Le Livre aka Booker(Matthias Schoenaerts); Yusuf Al-Kaysani aka Joe(Marwan Kenzari), and Nicolo De Genova aka Nicky(Luca Marinelli)have been on secret missions doing good for humanity for centuries. They are contracted by former CIA operative James Copley (Chiwetalu Ejiofor) to rescue a group of schoolgirls kidnapped in South Sudan. Unknown to them the mission is a trap to have them killed in order to document their immortal regenerative abilities. They kill their attackers and escape into hiding beginning a manhunt for Copley.

In Afghanistan, a soldier, Nile Freeman (Kiki Lane) has her throat slit during a mission to capture a terrorist leader. She survives without a scratch. Andy and her team have similar dreams and interpret them as the existence of a new immortal. From their dreams, they make a sketch and pinpoint a location. Andy rescues Nile from becoming an experimental guinea pig taking her to a safe house to meet the rest of the team. Still confused about this new situation, she shares with them the dreams she has been having. They know her dreams are about Quynh, a fellow immortal who was branded a witch and cast into the sea in an iron cage where she drowns, dies, and comes alive over and over again for centuries.

Copley was contracted to set up the fake mission by Steven Merrick (Harry Melling) a billionaire pharma executive studying longevity and looking for sources of immortality to cure human degenerative diseases. He kidnaps the entire group except for Nile who tracks Copley down and forces him to help her rescue them.

In the build-up to a spectacular finale, Andy is no longer self-healing and must come to terms with the fact that Nile might be replacing her. Copley has to decide which side he is on when Merritt kidnaps the group seeking to torture them and run experiments on them. Booker must face the consequences of his betrayal as an old friend announces her arrival. The Old Guard must trust an outsider to ensure their existence and work on behalf of humanity continues in secret

Social Relevance

The movie discusses issues related to World History, Terminal Illness, Big Pharma, Friendship and Brotherhood, Unexplained Phenomena, Betrayal, War, Terrorism, and Death

Conclusion

The Old Guard is in many ways about the human story through history and time. A story plagued by war, death, disease, suspicion, betrayal and much more. It contains elements of humanity’s story retold again and again

Have you watched The Old Guard? What are your thoughts?