Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn has taken some criticism for his new series Amazon series Too Old To Die Young, which stars Miles Teller, Jena Malone, and relatively new faces Augusto Aguilera and Cristina Rodlo. When so many mainstream reviewers harsh a series like this, your suspicions should be aroused.
No, it’s not politically correct. And it’s definitely transgressive in ways that will make some people uncomfortable. Nor does it neatly fit into the framework of what many reviewers are used to from art house TV like True Detective, Breaking Bad, or Legion. But I’m very familiar with the director’s work, and I’ve come to expect this from Refn, so it’s no surprise. The surprise is that Amazon Studios had the courage to let Refn be himself.
Refn may not be truly appreciated until he’s gone, but I’m not waiting that long. Television’s dive into art cinema has been hit and miss and, in my view, Too Old To Die Young is one of the hits. Here are just a few reasons why:
1. VR porn (trust me, that took courage, for a number of reasons, good and bad).
2. Shiny alien eyes that can only be cured by astral traveling.
3. A therapist with detailed futurecasting visions of the coming apocalypse.
4. A brief foray into UFO conspiracy culture.
5. Desert punk.
6. Spoken word performances masked as dialogue: “Soon, violence will be erotic. Torture euphoric. As the masses hail public executions propelled by the wrath of fascism.” And that’s the lighter stuff.
7. Controversial ruminations on the hipster takeover of LA’s food truck scene.
8. A vision of a Mexican-American non-binary Tupac with the ultimate Oedipal complex.
9. The most disturbingly phallic reptile you’ve ever seen.
10. A haunting song about a dark superhero sung by rescued victims of sex trafficking.
All that, plus beautiful cinematography and a masterful score by Cliff Martinez can be yours if you’re willing to endure rivers of blood (like, seriously, this isn’t for the squeamish) and pacing that will test even the most patient indie film fan.
I think when people sometimes ask, “What’s the remedy for people having short attention spans and constantly looking at their smartphones, even during movies,” Too Old To Die Young might be at least one of the answers. If you don’t stay locked in, you’ll miss something good. Sure, you can rewind, but that’s cheating, and kind of ruins the experience.
It’s definitely not for everyone — which describes most of Refn’s brilliant film work (Only God Forgives, The Neon Demon). But if you’ve been waiting for something truly different from TV, you have to at least give this a taste test to see if you like it, because it’s definitely a new flavor in the medium.
