The Sundance Kid goes running

Robert Redford’s standing in Hollywood must be a good one for him to have attracted so much star power and talent for his latest directorial effort that is at best, distinctly average. Marketed as a clever political thriller, it shows a lot of promise from its opening scenes, but what we find is a gradual dip in quality as it becomes clear the film doesn’t have too much to say for itself.

After years of hiding out, a notorious wanted fugitive is arrested by the FBI. As part of the anti-Vietnam War militant Weather Underground, Sharon Solarz (Susan Sarandon) was wanted for a bank robbery that resulted in murder a few decades ago. Her arrest leads to the sharp, ambitious young reporter Ben Shepard (Shia LaBeouf) to do his own digging around the terrorist group Solarz was involved in. His investigation leads to Jim Grant (Robert Redford), a lawyer hiding out in Albany under an alias.

Leaving his young daughter (Jackie Evancho) with his brother (Chris Cooper) who is less than thrilled to be in contact with him, Grant goes on the run, although Ben is determined to get a story out of this due to his pushy editor’s (Stanley Tucci) insistence.

What exactly is Grant after? To clear his name, maintain his innocence, and the only person who can do this is the elusive Mimi Lurie (Julie Christie) with whom he shared something special back in the day. This little reunion between the two is delayed for far too long as we see far too much of Ben’s investigative journalism. There isn’t anything wrong with showing us the methods, the keen reporter doing whatever he can to find a story he can print, but it’s often what he discovers that’s of little interest. There are children involved, adoption, paternity issues, but these don’t contribute to the overall narrative. It only slows down and distracts us from what’s truly important.

Once Jim and Mimi do end up in the same room, it leads to a heartfelt, intelligent discussion about their values, beliefs and ideals – what they believed so passionately inthe 70s don’t quite hold the same weight in the current context. Another theme that crops up is whether there is any regret, remorse or guilt about past actions. Whatever they do or don’t feel can’t excuse their actions, the characters know this too, and the heated exchange between the two, although brief, is a deep, insightful one: a worthy wrap-up of preceding events.

Aside from those already mentioned, other big names in the cast appearing include Brendan Gleeson, Terrence Howard, Anna Kendrick, Nick Nolte, Richard Jenkins, Sam Elliott and Brit Marling. Do they all serve a purpose to further the story or are they merely a distraction? They end up as a little bit of both, with understated performances all-round contributing to this greatly restrained piece.

It’s not as informative or powerful as Redford’s previous politically driven picture, the highly underrated and underseen Lions for Lambs, but the appeal here is still huge, starting with the stars, its opening, and a neat finish that successfully plays on the chemistry between Redford andChristie.

It’s a shame the middle filling isn’t quite as gripping as it should have been. It could have been shorter, and the many famous names should have been put to better use.