Serial bank robber Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford) and his two OAP pals (Tom Waits and Danny Glover) are working their way around the U.S. robbing banks when Detective John Hunt (Casey Affleck) catches a whiff of their trail and Forrest meets and falls for Jewel (Sissy Spacek).

What is perhaps Redford’s final stint in front of a camera is a beautifully touching ode to a life well lived, one of his most beloved films and a reminder to take it all in. The pace and tone are that of an old western where everything goes at a slow and steady pace and our antihero is a gentleman just having fun the only way he knows how.

Starting with a title card that riffs on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a gang name that does the same and a fantastic visual cue near the end of the film this is clearly created with love for the classic western and to celebrate Redford’s career. The character of Forrest is akin to what The Sundance Kid would have grown up to be. A man who steals with a smile on his face, not because he wants the money, but because it’s what makes him feel alive. Other films spring to mind whilst watching this as well. Sissy Spacek’s character instantly reminded me of her performance in Badlands, again a character that could have grown into this one. Whilst Forrest’s relationship with Detective John Hunt drew to mind Out of Sight for its playfulness between cop and criminal and Heat in the way that it reinvigorates Affleck’s character.

This isn’t just a collection of inspirations from other films though. Writer/Director David Lowery has his usual trademark stamps on this. Just like previous films Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and Ghost Story (both starring Affleck) this takes a slow thoughtful approach to telling its story. Shots are mostly static and if the camera moves it’s slow and sure. Even when inevitably there is a car chase, an easy listening tune kicks onto the soundtrack and nothing is frenetic anymore.

And at the centre of it all is Robert Redford making it all look so simple. If this is his swan song as an actor it’s apt.

A thoughtful, joyful film, especially for fans of nostalgia and westerns.