The Old Guard's story is anything but conventional.
When your team of action heroes is actually a group of centuries-old immortals, fighting
to keep their powers and identities a secret, you know you're in for something special.
Not only that, but The Old Guard is a surprisingly subtle action flick, full of small details
that add texture to its fantastic world.
If you haven't yet, watch the movie first and see how much you notice on your own.
Then, once you're immune to spoilers, come back and see what you missed.
It's probably more than you expect.
The Old Guard begins with an ominous voiceover from Charlize Theron's character, Andy.
"I've been here before.
Over and over again, and each time, the same question: Is this it?"
If that sounds familiar to you, then you've probably read The Old Guard before.
The Old Guard movie is based on a comic book miniseries of the same name written by Greg
Rucka and illustrated by Leandro Fernández.
As far as adaptations go, it's remarkably faithful.
That opening monologue is lifted almost verbatim from the comics' opening panels, and much
of the film's dialogue comes directly from the source material.
The plot stays pretty close, too, although The Old Guard movie does throw in a couple
of plot twists that'll surprise existing fans.
Of course, none of this ﻿should﻿ be a surprise.
That's because, in addition to co-creating the comic, Greg Rucka also penned the screenplay
for The Old Guard and was heavily involved in the production process.
In fact, Rucka is having a bit of a moment in showbiz: the Cobie Smulders crime procedural
Stumptown is based on another one of Rucka's books, and he's also the brains behind Kate
Kane, better known as the Arrowverse's Batwoman.
His influence clearly ensured that The Old Guard made its way to the screen as accurately
as possible.
When we first meet Andy, she gives her long-time partner Booker a gift.
"I got you something."
"What's that?
Oh, first edition Don Quixote.
That couldn't have been cheap."
"It wasn't."
At first, this seems like a cute moment between friends, but it's more than just a throwaway
scene.
As viewers soon learn, Don Quixote has a number of thematic parallels with The Old Guard,
particularly as it relates to Andy's emotional journey through the movie.
Don Quixote, which was first published in 1605, tells the story of a delusional noble
who thinks that he's a wandering knight and that regular situations are actually part
of an epic, heroic quest.
With his "squire" Sancho Panza at his side, Quixote embarks on a series of misadventures
- most famously, of course, attacking a bunch of windmills that he mistakes for giants.
It all adds up to the tale of a man who fights to try and make the world a better place,
but whose efforts end up being nothing more than a waste of time.
Similarly, at the beginning of The Old Guard, Andy decides that her centuries-long crusade
against evil has been futile, and that she hasn't accomplished a thing.
Throw in some similarities between Sancho and Booker - both characters are sidekicks
who aren't quite what they seem - and the Don Quixote moment suddenly makes a lot more
sense.
It isn't just a quick piece of character building.
It's a roadmap to The Old Guard's most important emotional arc.
While watching The Old Guard, you might've noticed that Joe, one of the members of Andy's
team, is a really, really good artist.
While everyone else frantically talks about the dream warning them of Nile's newly awakened
powers, Joe takes a different approach.
He begins sketching furiously, trying to commit every last detail to paper before the memory
fades.
Now, obviously, Marwan Kenzari, who plays Joe, didn't actually draw that picture.
So, who did?
As it turns out, that sketch was provided by Leandro Fernández, the artist who co-created
The Old Guard.
In fact, Fernández even makes a brief cameo in that scene: Whenever you see a close-up
of Joe drawing, those aren't Kenzari's hands.
They're Fernández's.
Fernández's influence is all over the movie.
The characters' wardrobes are clearly inspired by his designs, as is the look of Charlize
Theron's axe.
And given how important his art was to making The Old Guard, it's a nice tribute to include
some of his actual work in the film.
Unlike the comic it's based on, The Old Guard doesn't delve too much into Andy's backstory.
We don't know how old she is, where she comes from, or - outside of a few brief flashbacks
- what she's been through.
However, if you pay close attention, there are a few clues.
At one point, Andy mentions that she's been worshipped like a god.
Another time she mentions that her biography is the basis of a few myths and legends.
And then, of course, there's her full name:
"Who are you?"
"Andromache the Scythian.
But you can call me Andy."
If that was a little quick, she called herself Andromache the Scythian, which ties her to
a trio of characters in Greek mythology.
When the name comes up again later in the film, it does so with the implication that,
somehow, she's actually all three of them.
First, Andromache was the name of an Amazon queen who fought the legendary Herakles.
According to some sources, Andromache was also the name of one of the Minotaur's victims.
The third character called Andromache, and by far the most famous, is a key figure in
the Trojan War, as well as the subject of a number of stories detailing the war's aftermath.
This Andromache was best known as the wife of the Trojan champion Hector.
After the war ended, Andromache was taken captive and became a slave, although she ultimately
gained her freedom and married Hector's brother, becoming a queen once again.
It's difficult to reconcile what we know about Andy with the various historical Andromaches
- and it's hard to imagine Andy sitting idly by while a war rages around her, and even
the Minotaur would be hard-pressed to beat her in a fight.
But given how The Old Guard plays it, there's probably some elements of truth in there.
"I have the new one."
"And?"
"Well, she stabbed me, so I think she has potential."
Andy isn't the only character in The Old Guard with links to some classic literature.
At one point, The Old Guard's villain, the weasley pharmaceutical executive Merrick,
drops a Shakespeare quote: "Together we shall do such things - what they
are, yet I know not: but they shall be the terrors of the earth."
That's a line from King Lear, and it tells you pretty much everything you need to know
about Merrick's character.
See, while the line sounds ominous, in the context of the play it's actually a hollow
threat.
When he utters that line, Lear has just been betrayed by his two power-hungry daughters.
It's one of the last things that Lear says before he wanders out into a rainstorm and
loses his mind, and it's completely brushed off by Lear's daughters and their husbands.
In other words, it's the perfect quote for Merrick to spout.
As the wealthy head of a major corporation, Merrick thinks he holds all the cards.
Up against thousand-year-old immortals who've fought in countless battles, though?
Merrick doesn't stand a chance.
He just hasn't realized it yet.
By the end, Merrick has been taken care of.
Booker has shown his true colors.
Nile has come to terms with her powers.
And Andy, at long last, has learned that her actions really have made the world a better
place.
And so, the team settles down at an English pub to share a few pints and discuss their
next steps.
While the characters are there, the camera settles on a wood sign that gives a brief
history of the bar where they're drinking, including the fact that the pub is over 500
years old.
If you're an experienced London pub-crawler, that's all the info you need to identify exactly
where the Old Guard is drinking.
That sign is one of the most notable features of London's The Prospect of Whitby, which
claims to be the city's oldest riverside tavern.
It's also one of the oldest surviving bars in London - like the sign notes, the floors
are still original, although the rest of the building underwent some major renovations
after a 19th century fire decimated the place.
No, the Prospect of Whitby isn't quite as old as Andy, Joe, or Nicky.
But like them, it's steeped in history, and it's hard to think of a better place for a
group of immortals to kick back and relax.
Thanks for watching.
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