The idea of pairing Christopher Walken with eccentric character actors is … well, OK, it has been a thing probably since Pulp Fiction. But the buzz surrounding Martin McDonagh’s Walken-based Seven Psychopaths out of Toronto means this is a great time for Lionsgate to tease its own Walken-based con-man comedy, Stand Up Guys.
Yahoo Movies has the first official trailer, which is loaded with potential. Check it out below:
The clip has a jazzy sort of crime vibe, with Al Pacino playing a former convict with debts to settle, unless his longtime friend and former partner (Walken) follows orders and has him whacked by morning. Yet despite a few scattered shots of gun play and fighting, this looks like a dialogue exercise, with outstanding performers like Alan Arkin, Julianna Margulies, Bill Burr and the terrific Mark Margolis chipping in with supporting roles.
Fisher Stevens, an award-winning actor/director, helms Stand Up Guys from a script by first-time screenwriter Noah Haidle. It’s Stevens’ first feature-film directorial effort since 2002’s Just a Kiss, though he has been busy working on documentaries and shorts in the interim (including the Oscar-winning The Cove). I’m hoping that Stevens and his fine cast saw something special in the Guys screenplay that made them want to collaborate on it. We’ll find out on January 11, when the film finds its way into theaters.
