Is 'The Company You Keep' worth your time?

I love a good political thriller. So many of my favorite films of all time are political thrillers: The Manchurian Candidate, The Conversation, All The Presidents Men and, more recently, 2012's Argo. So far in 2013, I haven't found my perfect political thriller. I'd hoped it might be Robert Redford's The Company You Keep, but alas, it was not to be.

I adore Robert Redford. I love him so much I sat through his movie about fly fishing, even though I can't stand fly fishing. Redford has starred in several of my favorite films (I've already named one, but let's throw in Three Days of the Condor for good measure too). So, when I missed The Company You Keep in theaters, a film Redford also directed, I jumped at the chance to get the DVD.

Short version: It's not the worst movie I've seen, but it's not the best. The cast is outstanding, but the movie is so, so slow. I mean the kind of slow where, 20 minutes in, you're thinking you're already halfway home. Then you check the video and realize no, you've got 1.5 more hours to go. Once I adjusted to the fact that this one builds slowly, I was okay.

Here's the summary: Shia LeBeouf is a reporter who finds out the real identity of Jim Grant (Robert Redford), a former member of a radical 70s group called the Weather Underground. Grant and his fellow former members have been in hiding for decades because of their involvement in a murder. Grant goes on the run, trying to prove his innocence while eluding the law (and LeBeouf).

It's a decent enough premise, and the story is interesting, but I didn't come away from The Company You Keep feeling thrilled by this thriller. It was just okay. The pacing was just too off. It's a shame, because the acting by every single cast member is stellar. And seeing Redford on screen again is always a treat. The man has a presence like no other actor I've ever seen on screen. The minute he appears, you just know he's a star. I think maybe part of my issue was with Shia LeBeouf's story getting more time than Redford's. I've just never been impressed with LeBeouf, and he's surrounded in this film by some real acting heavyweights (Julie Christie, Chris Cooper, Susan Sarandon, Richard Jenkins, Nick Nolte and I could go on but you get the idea). He's outgunned.

Is The Company You Keep worth your time? Yes, as long as you keep in mind that this is *not* a political action thriller. The action is minimal, in fact. If for no other reason, rent it to marvel at seeing so many incredible actors in one film. If you wind up loving it, hey, that's a great thing.

Photo courtesy of AwardsCircuit.com