Golden Years

Think of this caper comedy as a British twist on the 1979 classic Going in Style (remade in 2017) with a bit of social commentary on the treatment of aging pensioners. Bernard Hill and Virginia McKenna star as retirees who have lost their savings due to the financial crisis and turn to robbing banks—specifically targeting the bonuses delivered to bank managers who are responsible for the crisis—in order to pay for medical expenses that are no longer covered due to cutbacks. The pair execute their robberies with surprise and misdirection (and without violence), but their buddies at a local club stumble onto their scheme and join together to form a band of modern-day Robin Hoods with the aim of raising money to save their watering hole from being redeveloped. Directed by John Miller, Golden Years is a comic crime movie about empowering senior citizen characters who feel disenfranchised (and mistreated by the government and society) that actually plays more like a British TV show. Anglophiles will recognize the familiar cast, which includes Sue Johnston (Downton Abbey), Phil Davis (Poldark), Una Stubbs (Sherlock), Mark Williams (Father Brown), and Simon Callow (Outlander). Alun Armstrong costars as a veteran detective who is battling an arrogant, ambitious young officer (Brad Moore) while tracking the robbers. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)