THE COMPANY YOU KEEP directed by Robert Redford, written by Lem Dobbs from the novel by Neil Gordon, with Redford, Shia LaBeouf, Susan Sarandon and Julie Christie. 122 minutes. An eOne release. Opens Friday (April 26). For venues and times, see listings. Rating: NNN
When an ambitious journalist (Shia LaBeouf) finds out Jim Grant (Robert Redford), a former member of Weatherman SDS, is practising law in Albany 30 years after he went underground, Grant becomes a fugitive again, seeking the former comrade who can clear his name.
A mind-blowing cast (Anna Kendrick, Richard Jenkins, Nick Nolte and Julie Christie – plus Susan Sarandon has one of those one-scene Oscar-bait roles) adds heft to this thriller, and dialogue examining ethics and motivation, both political and journalistic, is deftly written.
But there are some plot holes (wouldn’t a fugitive try to disguise himself just a little?), and things get way too tidy at the end. Good filmmaking nevertheless.
