GENERATION KILL

JEFF BRIDGES TAKES ON THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF HIS CAREER FOR THE OLD MAN – THE LANDMARK CAT-AND-MOUSE THRILLER THAT CAME DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO NEVER HAPPENING. TOTAL FILM MEETS THE DUDE AND THE TEAM BEHIND HIS HITMAN SERIES.

- PAUL BRADSHAW

They don’t make ’em like they used to. Serious, smart, old-fashioned thrillers sometimes seem as rare now as serious, smart, old-fashioned movie stars – which makes The Old Man feel like dusting off a fine vintage in more ways than one.

Based on the novel by Thomas Perry, the new FX series (streaming on Disney+ in the UK) arrives as a prestige spy thriller about Dan Chase: a 72-year-old ex-spook living out his retirement in hiding after going rogue during the late days of the Cold War. When he unleashes his old skills tackling a home invader, Chase is forced on the run – tracked by his old partner, and tangled up with a new love interest.

Drawing more from ’70s thrillers and revisionist westerns than modern actioners, taking a step back was all part of the appeal for showrunners Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine.

“I thought right away that there was something hiding underneath this story,” says Steinberg. “It felt much less about an old action hero, and more about the genre itself. There was a deep humanity to it that started to make me feel a little bit like when I saw Unforgiven for the first time. It was really willing to deconstruct all of the mythology of what an American hero is.”

Knowing that the whole show hung off casting the right Dan Chase – someone with real movie-star weight who could still pull off the fragility and depth of the role – there was really only ever one choice. “There was a list, and Jeff Bridges was at the top of it. But to be honest I just read right past it!” laughs Steinberg. “I was like, ‘Guys, we’re not getting Jeff, let’s get real.’ And then a phone call came in and it all got real very quickly…”