The Company You Keep

I just saw this movie this past year. I thought the premise was intriguing and I was not wrong. All-star cast. Amazing script, casting, directing, acting. The only thing wrong with this was there wasn't enough time to give so many of the amazing actors in this more lines. Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon, Chris Cooper, Stanley Tucci, and so many others are only on screen for maybe 5 minutes each. But they all added immensely to this masterpiece. The story mainly revolves around Robert Redford's character who's been hiding out for 30 years under an assumed name in Albany, NY as a civil rights attorney and Shia LaBeouf, a young reporter for a local newspaper trying to make a name for himself.It's such a fascinating story, because no one is really a hero, and no one's really a villain in this morality tale. In fact all the characters seem to be anti-heroes -- they're all fascinating, deeply flawed individuals, just trying to survive.I was pleasantly surprised to see that the BluRay version I ordered had about 40 minutes of extras, mostly interviews with the cast about the movie. Not mentioned in the product description, but a lot of fun to watch. This movie, this story is highly philosophical, and timeless, and makes you think. But it also has a very compelling plot, and fascinating characters.I'm kind of dumbfounded not more was made about this movie at the time. I suspect this is a movie people will be watching 100 years from now. Amazing cinema! Now I have to read the book!

This film has depth in every area of movie making. The storyline isn't so much complex, as it is delivered by the character's stories being revealed. Every element of "The Company You Keep" is excellent. Kudos to Robert Redford. It won't go into my elite category of all lifetime favorites, because the storyline is based upon world eras and political events. But then, I'm not a young newspaper reporter.

This was an interesting movie with a lot of well known actors on board for this production. While the movie kept a steady and interesting pace- the ending was a bit lackluster. Yet, I wasn't sure what a fitting ending would actually be, so I can't complain too much about how it closes.Based on a real radical peace movement organization in the past, an org that wanted Vietnam over and soldiers brought home, somewhere along the way the group started to realize that their passive protests were not quite enough.This frustrated them more and obviously angered certain members of the group into actions they normally would not do.At least this is how some members of the groups felt, and it seems the protests gradually got more aggressive until one day, an innocent person is killed in a bank robbery.The movie analyzes both the cause and the people involved, with Robert Redford's character the focal point of the movie as it explores these issues.A key point to the movie is that things are not what they appear to be, and also, people learn that time has a way of changing perception and beliefs about their prior and present behavior.Shia Lebouf is a young, tenacious, investigative reporter who wants to grab a good story and make a name for himself.And not just something for his small time newspaper, but something that will let him make his mark in the world of journalism in general.He thinks if he can learn more about this group from 30 years ago and where the former members are, what they are doing, how they are linked- etc, and create a block buster story- even an expose', he will be giving his career in journalism, a major boost from a lame local newspaper to something bigger and better- whatever that might be.When Susan Sarandon's character- the woman from 30 years ago who is guilty of being involved in shooting an innocent bystander in a bank, finally decides it is time to turn herself in, the FBI grabs her before she can do so of her own volition.Shia Lebouf is intrigued by the story of THE WEATHERMEN, as the group was called, and by Sarandon's character.She allows him to interview her if he promises to simply report the truth. Or at least the truth as she saw it back then.This seems to cause further intrigue for Lebouf after interviewing her at the police station.He now sees her as a far more complex character than just some hippie from the past who went out of control and did something unspeakable and indefensible.He seeks out on a journey of putting the puzzles together of several people, who were once the same age he was , fighting for what they believed in decades ago, until something went terribly wrong.As he goes about doing this, he sets a chain of events in motion that ends up getting many of the former group under the spotlight of the FBI.He also ends up potentially putting innocent people into jeopardy in his zeal to cover this juicy, history making story.As the movie moves on, Lebouf's character must weigh the consequences of a hot story hitting the press with his name on it- versus the collateral damage to those who had nothing to do with the org or that fateful day so long ago.The movie is based on a novel but the org did actually exist and I intend to learn more about them and what became of them.Most people agree today what a terrible waste of lives the Vietnam war caused and how fruitless the entire conflict was.Some people in the past tried earnestly to be a voice for the American people against the war and use that voice to bring American troops home.But they were drowned out and the movie shows old video flashbacks of how protesters against the war were treated. The American govt and military had no hesitation in doing whatever it could to squelch movements like THE WEATHERMEN. The police/ MP brutality shown in flashbacks makes you realize how so many of these protests were well intentioned but never stood a chance.When you see how martial law was used against such people,and you hear references as well to the KENT STATE incident, one can understand how certain members of this group might have went over the edge and crossed a very serious line in their effort to try and put an end to the atrocities they were so very aware of happening to Vietnam's people and our own soldiers.They wanted their voices to be heard louder. Unfortunately, some poor choice of methods were employed. They crossed the line from being outrageous and not hurting people to having a person murdered.That fine line, is one that was crossed- but the movie leaves you guessing who crossed that line along with Susan Sarandon's character.Susan is not a fall guy- she is guilty. She does not deny that.But there is another accomplice in this bank robbery scenario and apparently there is a fall guy as well.The question the movie pursues right up to the very end is: who else was culpable in that bank robbery incident and who might not be involved at all?

What a movie should be, well directed , good script and story line and very good professional actors.

In a sense "The Company You Keep" is a testament to Robert Redford's skill as a director. I can't think of too many films that would get your attention as this one does despite the missteps and stretches of logic on display. For starters the film is apparently set thirty years after the campus uprisings of the late Sixties and early Seventies. By that account the setting of the film would be around the beginning of the new Millennium yet references are made to Facebook which wasn't created until much later in the decade. We also have to accept Senior Citizens like Robert Redford, Julie Christie, and Nick Nolte as Fiftysomethings. At least they didn't make Chris Cooper Redford's older brother. It's interesting that journalist Ben Shepard(Shia LaBoeuf) is a complete parasitic weasel so distasteful even his own editor dislikes him. In the Seventies Redford made films like "All the President's Men" and "Three Days of the Condor" that elevated to sainthood the print media. For a film that concerns itself with the former Students for Democratic Action and the Weather Underground I came away with very little insight into these organizations and what made their members tick with the possible exception of one scene with Susan Sarandon who plays a repenting fugitive. The depiction of the leader of the former militants, Nick Sloan (Redford) doesn't help matters. Whether it's in the way the character is written or the way Redford portrays him Sloan remains an enigma. The end of the film which should provide answers only adds new questions. Despite these criticisms "The Company You Keep" is an eminently watchable film that moves at a nice clip with some good performances. The manhunt for Sloan is exciting and tense. Be prepared for the potholes ,or ,plot holes for that matter, however.