Nick Tosches‘ book Dino includes a biography written about Dean Martin where he states that to Martin growing old was reminiscing about the saying, “La Vecchia è carogna,” which translates to “old age is carrion,” Which is something abusive to say.
Artie Crawford is the character Pierce Brosnan portrays in his 71s portraying an individual who’s residing in a nursing home situated in Belfast at The Last Rifleman, a movie by Terry Loane and scripted by Kevin Fitzpatrick. At the very beginning of the movie Dino’s character loses his wife, so its reasonable to assume he views life in a rather grim manner. How is one to cope in a situation like that?
To mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day we decided to take a different approach; capturing British veterans attending a commemorative event to pay respect to the soldiers who served during World War II. Artie shares with us how excited he was about the event and thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to meet some old friends, but sadly he was unable to make it out of his nursing home.
So, it becomes clear where he draws inspiration from a spirit of innovation demonstrated by the forces of Europe during WWII- as he makes a vaguely reckless getaway which puts both his guards in pursuit, as well as estranged family members who have ignored him for quite some time. Also, it shouldn’t be a surprise that a certain TV reporter also follows them on that hunt. Because, of course, he does.
And this definitely is such a film, so except for that, there are the Friends He Makes Along The Way as well. For example, there’s the talkative taxi driver who shares nurtured opinions about Britain’s improved relations with Northern Ireland. Then there is the bus’s headphone-wearing teenage Morricone fan who allows Artie to hear a well-known piece from the soundtrack of ‘The Mission’ from his cans. And, of course, there’s a former adversary: A German soldier aboard a German bus that Artie is instructed to take. Portrayed by the great Jurgen Prochnow, the character makes a kind of amends for the barbaric behavior of the Nazi militants. Then, at the strong suggestion from John Amos, who has only recently passed away, a retired American soldier who took part in the Allied operation appears.
There is much to enjoy in watching these fine artists, but Brosnan has the burden of carrying the movie on his broad shoulders and he does so wonderfully, portraying a character older than his actual age, on one hand, and without pedaling tragedy on the other. Brosnan put forth lots of effort; however, this is a film with its heart in Durban and its head in Swaziland. Every part of the story leans heavily on its overused soundtrack. Don’t Fence Me In is a great tune to sing along to as it is catchy, but since its reintroduction, it has been grossly overused. As a result, these are the events.
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