The Old Man and the Gun review round-up: Robert Redford 'will surely earn a final best actor Oscar nomination'

David Lowery’s The Old Man and the Gun may be Robert Redford's last heist but its reviews are as good as his first.

The film, set for release on 28 September, sees Redford play Forrest Tucker, the real-life bank robber whose criminal career and multiple escapes from prison spanned more than 60 years. His partners are played by Danny Glover and Tom Waits; Sissy Spacek plays the love interest of the smitten Tucker; and Casey Affleck plays the police detective pursuing Tucker even as his esteem for the bank robber grows.

Robert Redford in The Old Man and the Gun. Image via Twitter

Redford is an Oscar winner, but not for acting: he won in 1981 for best director for Ordinary People and he may just walk away with another this time around going by the reviews.

So, here's what the critics are saying about The Old Man and the Gun:

The Guardian (Gwilym Mumford): "The film feels like a homage to Redford, who will surely earn a final best actor Oscar nomination for his performance."

Variety (Peter Debruge): "People don’t forget a performer like Redford, whose movie-star charisma idles low and sexy like a Harley Davidson motor even when he’s not doing anything, and that means a movie like David Lowery’s The Old Man & the Gun — a dapper, low-key riff on the bank-robber genre — can play things soft, counting on Redford’s charm to fuel the show."

The Hollywood Reporter (Todd McCarthy): "The film makes plenty of mileage from trading on the charm of a good bad boy, and Redford’s long experience in playing such roles serves him beautifully here; he knows by now he doesn’t have to push his attractiveness to be ingratiating. His work here is natural, subtle, ingratiating and doesn’t miss a trick."

The Playlist (Gregory Ellwood): "Still, 82 years young, Redford finds a way to make you care for Tucker. A character, as we’ve noted, you shouldn’t have much sympathy for. But somehow you still want him to ride off to the sunset. You want it all to work out. You want him to have fun robbing those banks forever. Just to see that trademark Redford smile one more time."

Vox (Alissa Wilkinson): "The Old Man & the Gun — which, like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, is based on real characters — is a natural fit for both star and director, and in Lowery’s hands, it feels like both an homage to the past and a gentle step toward the future."

IndieWire (Eric Kohn): "Ultimately, the movie is a giant, lovable metaphor: Tucker’s criminal preoccupations are such a natural part of his life he seems as if he could keep at it forever, no matter the impracticalities, and he becomes an ideal avatar for Redford’s own achievements. Whether or not Redford has actually delivered his final performance, the movie makes it clear that the actor’s past credits ensure he’s around for good."

Entertainment Weekly (Chris Nashawaty): "Even if The Old Man & the Gun weren’t Redford’s final bow, there’s no getting around the fact that it’s his show from start to satisfying finish. He hasn’t been this mellow and loose in a long time."

Vanity Fair (Richard Lawson): "Mostly, the cat-and-mouse of Lowery’s film is just reason enough to contemplate the shuffling everydayness of life, of how we are ever aware of its finality while also tending to, seeking out, and appreciating the little joys, mercies, and adventures of it."

The A.V. Club (A.A. Dowd): "With The Old Man & The Gun, Lowery takes the act of capitalizing on the star’s almost mythic stature to its logical endpoint."