‎The Company You Keep (2012) directed by Robert Redford • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

The Company You Keep

2012 Directed by Robert Redford

The greatest manhunt in history.

A former Weather Underground activist goes on the run from a journalist who discovers his identity.

Robert Redford Shia LaBeouf Julie Christie Susan Sarandon Nick Nolte Chris Cooper Terrence Howard Stanley Tucci Richard Jenkins Anna Kendrick Brendan Gleeson Brit Marling Sam Elliott Stephen Root Jackie Evancho Keegan Connor Tracy Lochlyn Munro

121 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by sophie b ★½ 2

This movie accomplished the rare feat of making me wish I was watching Argo
Review by mattmav45 ★★

Starts out decent enough before spiraling into a whirlpool of nonsense.

The first half hour is pretty damn good. The characters are introduced, and the story begins to unravel in a way that makes the viewer want to know more. The characters aren't necessarily developed in any clear way, but it doesn't really matter. The beginning of the film was all about the story and everything else served to propel and complement it. The pace was slow, but it was perfectly suited to the style on display.

Unfortunately, all begins to change after the first half hour. The story begins to dwell far too much into the characters and meanders quite a bit. The story is halted at times. All…
Review by Andy Summers ★★★

Robert Redford has always been worth watching when in front of the screen, but when he doubles up as director he sometimes gives himself too much to do, and that's just one of the issues with his 2012 film, The Company You Keep. A political thriller with a surprisingly diverse cast, some of this shines a light on a struggle that as a non-American I knew little about. The Weather Underground sounds like a nightclub rather than a radical militant organisation that took drastic steps including the bombing of Government buildings in opposition to America's involvement in Vietnam. Redford's film is fictional, but gives us an insight into the motivations of some of their members, and more importantly the guilt…
Review by Thomas Ringdal ★★★

The cast is just unreal, and outshines the story even when most of them get little to no time to show what they're capable of. I guess no one says no to Redford, and that's a good thing, as with lesser actors this might just have turned into a borefest.
LeBoeuf isn't a horrible lead here, but still wrong for the part and Redford's choices in presenting this character seems way off based on what he himself starred in in the 70s, wich this movie somewhat hommages.

It never manages to get the message across about the difference between the generations of youth now compared to the 60s and 70s. There is real apathy nowadays, and I guess we're all aware of that, but that's no excuse for the film's lack of adressing said point, at least in a satisfying manner.
It does however convey an even-handed approach to The Weather Underground, without ever being biased or preachy.
Review by Timcop ★½

Wherein Robert Redford takes the field of journalism, a profession he once helped establish in the public consciousness as both noble and honorable, and completely shits all over it. I can't think of a recent movie outside of DIE HARD that does so much to make journalism look like a complete waste of time. Granted, I may be a little biased in this regard, but fortunately the movie is just terrible enough to warrant such a poor rating.

It doesn't help that the movie is completely over-explanatory when it really doesn't need to be (Redford and Christie's unnecessary cabin exposition conversation) and utterly vague when some explanation is necessary (Redford's bizarre and incoherent final speech to Shia LaBeouf). LaBeouf's character…
Review by Ghostsmut ★★

So I've never heard of this but after watching All Is Lost I felt like some more Robert Redford so thought I'd check this out. Without reading anything about this film I was constantly stunned by the famous actors who kept popping up for little bit parts throughout. It probably kept pushing me out of the film to be honest: Robert Redford, Shia LaBeouf, Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, Terrence Howard, Stanley Tucci, Richard Jenkins, Anna Kendrick, Brendan Gleeson & Brit Marling.

Now that's a fucking cast for a film no one went to see!

And yes, I heard that deep sigh you just made when you saw Shia's name there. I have to be honest, he was…

Recent reviews

Review by Tuosma ★★

(Old impressions, not based on a recent viewing)

Packs a grand cast, but that's where it ends. It's sad how low Lem Dobbs has fallen. This, Haywire and most recently Gotti make for quite a stinky 10's comparing to the success he had in the 90's. Redford puts in a mediocre job behind the camera and as a result you have something you might watch from TV if you were too lazy to get up to get the remote, so you could change the channel.
Review by Michael_Elliott ★★★

Robert Redford directs and all-star cast in this political thriller about the past coming back to haunt you. When a former Weather Underground member (Susan Sarandon) turns herself in for a murder committed thirty years earlier, a reporter (Shia LaBeouf) soon realizes that a local man (Redford) might have some connection. Soon this man goes on the run and it's up to the reporter to try and find out why and put all the pieces together.

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP certainly has some flaws but for the most part I thought it was an extremely well-made thriller with some terrific performances. As with Redford's previous film THE CONSPIRATOR, this here certainly has some things to say about current politics but…
Review by arifkoes

Seorang jurnalis menelisik kejahatan sejumlah aktivis di masa lalu. Usut punya usut, kasus itu berimbas ke orang-orang terdekat para aktivis. Pelajaran penting: jurnalis kadang punya dilema dan bertanggungjawab antara hak pubik untuk tahu dan nasib orang-orang yang tak terkait dengan berita yang kita tulis. Konsekuensinya tak mudah. Penampilan Robert Redford yang selalu berkharisma—setelah di All The President Men, Up Close and Personal, Truth, ia jadi idola di jagat sinema tentang jurnalis.
Review by apt4893 ★★

I like a good spy thriller, but this isn't a good one. instead it's a drama that tests morales and it isn't that interesting. It's a shame given the talent (and everyone over the age of 60 getting a supporting role) that the script doesn't really twist or amount to much thrill. Shia Labouef tries legitimate acting but it comes off more as pretentious and sort of stilted. Anna Kendrick is heavily miscast as an informant. Redford tries to give a dimensional character but it never fleshes out and it's a shame.
Review by jacob nordheim ★★★

So much wasted potential with this cast
Review by Alison ★★½

After the first twenty minutes, I thought I was really gonna like this. Then it all just... unraveled.

Sad.
Review by Jakub Flasz ★★★

The Company You Keep, adapted from a novel one would be likely to pick up at the airport on their way to Bali, is Robert Redford's attempt at capturing Pakula-esque immediacy that makes political thrillers truly come alive. Unfortunately, I think I can only say that he has been only partially successful in his quest.

This film reminded me of some of the later works of Pakula, like Presumed Innocent and The Pelican Brief in that it all too easily rested upon its source material. This is neither the time nor the place to discuss whether the novel on which this story is based is good or not; what I am merely trying to establish is that The Company You…
Review by Martin Kelly ★★★

Poorly titled, to be sure, and not a masterpiece; but I'm at a loss as to why this film was so callously tossed away by its distributors. I'm pretty sure it bypassed UK cinemas entirely. With intriguing subject matter and an outstanding, all-star cast; I'd have given it a shot...
Review by Ben Hecking ★★★½

Loses a bit of momentum at the half way point but great performances all round.