Never Grow Old: Blu-Ray Review

Arriving this week on Blu-ray and DVD is writer/director Ivan Kavanagh’s western-thriller, “Never Grow Old”, starring Emile Hirsch and John Cusack.  There isn’t much here that we haven’t seen before. However, thanks to Kavenagh’s direction, and the performances by the lead actors, “Never Grow Old” feels somewhat fresh.

Set in the frontier town of Garlow, Irish undertaker Patrick Tate (Hirsch), finds himself going against his own values when he begins profiting off the crimes committed by outlaw, Dutch Albert (Cusack).  The town which has fallen on hard times gets a whole lot worse when Dutch purchases the bar/brothel, which attracts a bad element. Folks who used to spend their time going to church now spend their time at Dutch’s place. Townsfolk who are starving must resort to working for Dutch as well.  When the lives of Patrick’s wife Audrey (Déborah François) and their children are threatened, he must make choices that will most likely end in bloodshed.

“Never Grow Old” is dark, gritty and quite engaging. Even if we can predict where things are headed, Kavanagh keeps things interesting.  This is a slow-burn, but with a run-time of 100 minutes, it doesn’t take too much time for the story to move along.  If you like the cast and the genre, I recommend you check this one out.

By: Marc Ferman