Robert Redford is a bonafide titan of cinema, thanks to a career taking in some of the best and most iconic dramas of the past half a century, including the likes of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting and All the President's Men. This, coupled with his role in the gestation and birth of the Sundance Film Festival, a place that has launched many a creative's career (the Coen Brothers, Steven Soderbergh, Richard Linklater to name three), means that he is allowed a swansong where the only reason to see it is for the actor's fabulous charisma.

The Old Man and the Gun tells the true story of Forrest Tucker whose career as bank robber came to a close after a series of audacious robberies across several states in the 1980s.

This film is all about Redford, a fabulous performer that only needs to crack a smile to steal each scene he's in. He brings an interesting dynamic to the part of Forrest, who is a more unlikable figure then the film seems to be aware of. Few of the other performers get a look in as the film wallows in a cloud of Redford's charisma. There are genuinely talented performers like John David Washington, Danny Glover and Elisabeth Moss who all feel poorly served by The Old Man and the Gun, whilst Casey Affleck feels so low energy here that it seems like this is an act of performance art on his part. Sissy Spacek manages to have some impact as Forrest's love interest, making the case that maybe a more interesting film would be one that follows her character. She shares an electric chemistry with Redford and the energy of the film noticeably drops when she is off-screen.

Director David Lowery has marked himself out in recent years as a talented director, skilled at looking backing to what makes films from the 70s so stylistically appealing. There is a degree of craft here that gives the film a gorgeous look, thanks to Joe Anderson's cinematography. But the film desperately needs a shot of energy, proving a remarkably slow despite the secondary plot of the investigation into Forrest, that should prove cinematic caffeine but doesn't.

The Old Man an the Gun is a slight indie drama, one that for some will test their patience. If you are a fan of Redford then there is enough here to enjoy proceedings. It certainly frustrated me in its romanticisation of a criminal, and overall suffered from a decision to not allow a talent cast of supporting characters room to breathe. There's only so far Redford's smile can get a film.

This is a London Film Festival preview and The Old Man and the Gun will be released on the 7th December 2018.