Released on 10th July 2020 on Netflix, The Old Guard begins with a close-up of the lead performer, Charlize Theron, dead on the ground with bullet wounds all around. In the soundtrack, her voice-over monologue reveals to us that she is exhausted with the endless example of things repeating ceaselessly. Theron is Andy, or Andromache the Scythian, an undying warrior, working with three other unique immortals—Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), Joe (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli)— to protect humankind. They should work secretly to cover their astounding ability to come back to life after having experienced demise.
As the film shows us bullets, cutting edge wounds or tumbling off a tall structure doesn’t kill them, yet they do feel the torture of being shot or cut, and of failing miserably. It takes them two or three minutes to come back to life.
Andy is the most seasoned of the immortals yet this film never reveals that she has been alive for a large number of years. As the film begins, the gathering of four finds a newcomer. Nile (Kiki Layne) is a marine situated in Afghanistan, who was butchered during activity and inexplicably mended. Andy finds her, and takes her under consideration.
However, the secret nearness of these immortals is undermined by a gathering of individuals who endeavor to get their weird limit of not passing on, and shifting this power onto themselves. With the help of the newcomer Nile, Andy and her gathering try to stop the villains that hope to use them as test subjects.
Based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez, The Old Guard is directed by Gina Ruler Bythewood (Love and Basketball, The Secret Life of bees), with a screenplay formed by Rucka himself. The film slyly entwines game plans of activity—the fighting sequence, for example, among Nile and Andy while on a cargo plane is altogether outstanding—with progressively exciting scenes.
As the underlying voice-over monologue suggests, this is a story that researches the weight of immortality. As the film spreads out, it ends up being sure this isn’t something the principle characters particularly appreciate. The film suggests that there is nothing charming about living forever. They become world class competitors, yet they should watch their loved ones and families get old and perish while they live on as if nothing has changed. There is an inclination of gloom that goes with being undying, something which clearly, Joe and Nicky don’t comprehend as they have each other in their sentimental story.
The handheld camera movements keep the story grounded to this present reality. It derives that the Old Guard are not super humans, yet individuals, who just so happen to not kick the pail.
The Old Guard closes with a critical cliffhanger, there is in all likelihood that this is the start of another franchise driven by female warriors.
About the Writer
Bhavya Shukla is a final year Journalism undergraduate at Kalindi College, Delhi University. She is a budding cinematographer and cinephile. One can always find her binge watching films and tv series in one corner of her room.
screengobblr 