When it comes to older actors, frequently it comes down to taking bum roles to keep working or waiting for a role-of-a-lifetime opportunity like Bruce Dern in “Nebraska.” Robert Duvall has been a happy exception, staying vital and interesting well into senior citizenry (he’s now 83), giving memorable performances in “We Own the Night,” “Thank You for Smoking,” and his acclaimed turn in 2010’s “Get Low.” Now, Phase 4 Films has released the trailer for the Duvall-starring SXSW film “A Night in Old Mexico,” and it looks to be no exception to the actor’s inspiring late-career run.
“A Night in Old Mexico” stars Duvall as Red, an ornery Texas rancher forced to give up his land and uninterested in going to die quietly in a trailer park like some poor old fool. With his grandson Gally (Jeremy Irvine of “War Horse”) – son of his long-estranged son – he races off for one last adventure in Mexico, where they cross paths with some unsavory characters.
Whether or not the film lives up to that premise, the image of an old man refusing to go gentle into that good night is a fitting description of Duvall himself. The actor is also appearing this year in David Dobkin’s “The Judge” and is still in talks for Terry Gilliam’s “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” though he’s unsure if the film will ever be made. Duvall spoke of his career and his optimism about young actors with Indiewire at SXSW.
“A Night in Old Mexico” was directed by Emilio Aragón and is planned for release in theaters and on iTunes on May 16.
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