The Company You Keep (2012)

Directed by: Robert Redford
Country: USA

Review: Robert Redford is back as actor, producer, and director, bringing with him a great cast from the ‘old school’. The plot centers in an ex-member of the radical left organization Weather Underground, Jim Grant (Redford), who lives in Albany with his daughter, hidden from the FBI under a false identity. When, after 30 years, his former associate Sharon Solarz (Susan Sarandon) turns herself in to the police, Ben (Shia LaBeouf), a reporter from a local newspaper, uncovers Jim’s real identity, putting the FBI on his trail. Jim flees, helped by some of his old mates, but left his daughter behind, without ever trying to leave the country. This fact will arouse suspicions about Jim’s real involvement in the terrorist attacks from the past. Everything seems tepid in “The Company You Keep”, a political thriller made in a classical style that left much to be desired. I didn’t feel involved or even surprised by the plot (written by Lem Dobbs and based on Neil Gordon’s novel), which was wasted on journalistic investigations so many times seen before, unemotional parental dramas, and boring chases. Many aspects were in need of profound adjustments to make this story and its characters minimally interesting. The unquestionable quality of the cast nothing could have done when worn formulas were used and the tense moments proved to be frustratingly inefficient.