Old Man review – wilderness horror as cranky codger faces off with mysterious hiker | Film

Here is an unexceptional psychological horror from director Lucky McKee that feels dated and clunky, with some fairly ropey acting – or maybe that is down to the shaky lines put into the actors’ mouths. It only comes alive after a freaky plot twist at the end, but even that left the hairs on the back of my neck unprickled, the carpet under my feet unpulled.

Stephen Lang plays a cranky codger known only as Old Man who lives in the remote Smoky Mountains wilderness. The set design of his wooden cabin is distractingly inauthentic; it’s like an Ikea store display that has been done up in hicksville chic. Old Man has woken up in a filthy temper; first his dog, Rascal, pees on the floor, and then there is a knock at the door. Old Man shoves his shotgun into the face of the stranger standing outside. “Do as I say, or you’ll end up like her,” he growls, jabbing the gun at a stuffed wildcat on the wall.

The rest of the film is a two-hander between Old Man and the young guy, a hiker – or so he says – called Joe (Mark Senter). It plays out as guessing game, leaving us to wonder which of these men is a dangerous psychopath. The obvious choice is bitter, deluded Old Man with his toxic rants about everything from his ex-wife to Bible salesmen. But then, you wouldn’t bet against Joe: his clean-cut wholesome politeness makes him an ideal movie psycho-killer.

Both men are hiding something, evasive and shifty-eyed. Everything falls into place after the plot twist ending. But the trouble is that for the hour-and-a-bit of running time before that, the movie lacks anything like the intensity or claustrophobia required to carry off a two-hander. Still, I didn’t see the twist coming, even though others have described it as being so glaring you can see it from space.

Here is an unexceptional psychological horror from director Lucky McKee that feels dated and clunky, with some fairly ropey acting – or maybe that is down to the shaky lines put into the actors’ mouths. It only comes alive after a freaky plot twist at the end, but even that left the hairs on the back of my neck unprickled, the carpet under my feet unpulled.

Stephen Lang plays a cranky codger known only as Old Man who lives in the remote Smoky Mountains wilderness. The set design of his wooden cabin is distractingly inauthentic; it’s like an Ikea store display that has been done up in hicksville chic. Old Man has woken up in a filthy temper; first his dog, Rascal, pees on the floor, and then there is a knock at the door. Old Man shoves his shotgun into the face of the stranger standing outside. “Do as I say, or you’ll end up like her,” he growls, jabbing the gun at a stuffed wildcat on the wall.

The rest of the film is a two-hander between Old Man and the young guy, a hiker – or so he says – called Joe (Mark Senter). It plays out as guessing game, leaving us to wonder which of these men is a dangerous psychopath. The obvious choice is bitter, deluded Old Man with his toxic rants about everything from his ex-wife to Bible salesmen. But then, you wouldn’t bet against Joe: his clean-cut wholesome politeness makes him an ideal movie psycho-killer.

Both men are hiding something, evasive and shifty-eyed. Everything falls into place after the plot twist ending. But the trouble is that for the hour-and-a-bit of running time before that, the movie lacks anything like the intensity or claustrophobia required to carry off a two-hander. Still, I didn’t see the twist coming, even though others have described it as being so glaring you can see it from space.