The ennui–the sheer “I’ve seen it all” aura–that goes with the territory of living for “too long” (which, yes, is very much a thing) already comes across in “normal” old people. When compounded by the idea of living forever, or at least for many centuries, that ennui augments more than tenfold, as is the case for The Old Guard’s anti-heroine Andy a.k.a. Andromache of Scythia (played to wry, embittered perfection by Charlize Theron), the leader of a very small army of fellow immortal mercenaries that she’s taken it upon herself to “reign” over in her role as the eldest. Just how old she really is, no one knows for sure, though it’s safe to say the word ancient would not be out of the realm of possibility.
Written by comic book guru Greg Rucka, the mythical origin story present in his graphic novels of the same name is a key element to the film, punctuating it with a “universe unto itself” feel where terms of logic and reason apply (or rather, don’t). As for the movie’s director, Gina Prince-Bythewood, while her debut in 2000, Love & Basketball, might never have indicated she would do something like The Old Guard, when one considers these times of revolution, a title and subject matter like this has never felt more pertinent. The need for an eradication of an arcane and impenetrable white-led entity that has been around for too long–served in a position of dominant power for more than its fair share of epochs–is present within every frame after Nile Freeman (KiKi Layne) shows up.
Apart from Booker a.k.a. Sebastian Le Livre (Matthias Schoenaerts), Joe a.k.a. Yusuf Al-Kaysani (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky a.k.a. Nicolo di Genova (Luca Marinelli), the only other female “immortal” (for these are not vampires and ought not be confused with such–though technically vampires aren’t immune to death either) Andy had ever known was Quynh (Van Veronica Ngo). It was just the two of them for a while, after both witnessed the death of another immortal, proving the postulated belief that “every living thing must die” when it’s their time, regardless of “superpowers.” Alas, when the times of burning witches at the stake came about, the female duo was doomed–Quynh more than Andy, for it was decided she would be bound inside of a casket and drowned, doomed to eternally come back to life after every “last” gasp for air deep beneath the sea. Andy had it much easier by being set on fire, leading one to believe maybe Quynh had it rougher because she wasn’t white.
This, and many other traumas, have contributed to Andy’s lack of faith in humanity, and her increasing reluctance to assist it in any way when things are clearly “only getting worse,” not better. What’s more, the evolution of technology has made it impossible for The Old Guard not to leave a footprint of some kind that exposes them (with Andy at one point offering to take a picture for some tourists in Marrakech so she can delete the image they snapped with her in the background) to the kind of scrutiny that might lead to their capture: by far the only thing worse than having to live forever–for they can be tortured in every way and still be forced to survive even the most brutal of tactics. Again and again, over and over. Which is precisely what big pharma CEO Merrick (Harry Melling) wants to do to them for his own financial gain after enlisting a henchman named Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) to scout and poach the legends of the organization.
The immortality as a curse rather than a blessing element has never been so manifest–save for in Robert Zemeckis’ 1992 cult classic, Death Becomes Her. Except in the latter’s case, the vanity of Madeline (Meryl Streep) and Helen (Goldie Hawn) is further spurred by being able to look young for eternity, compelling them to stay alive at all costs, whereas in Andy and her crew’s case, the purpose that keeps them going is helping humanity. A paying it forward philosophy that adheres to an idea espoused inside the French pharmacy where a wounded Andy is told by the cashier, “You need help. What does it matter why? Today, I put this on your wound. Tomorrow, you help someone up when they fall.” This sort of faith in humanity seems hard to reconcile at the present state of rock bottom, and yet, it is all that many of us have to believe that the fight is still worth fighting: because there remains a handful of decent human beings out there, who simply need their own leg up in order to be able to help others and influence change. So no, never at any point do the notions of “youth and beauty” play into what The Old Guard does, as is the case for the potion-obsessed Madeline and Helen, who would never dream of doing anything to help others besides themselves, which, in retrospect, seems like a big statement on white lady privilege.
Instead, The Old Guard’s sole mission is to fight for what they believe is right. This is why they were members of the Union Army in the Civil War, why there were images of them embedded in the civil rights protests of the 1960s. Hiding in plain sight for all these decades. Everything they have ever done is to aid in furthering the progress and harmony of the world. So yeah, it’s about time a black girl showed up to knock an old white bitch out of the way. Because Nile clearly doesn’t need a white savior to fight her battles. This underlying symbolism of The Old Guard seems to be Prince-Bythewood’s not so undercover “fuck you” to Hollywood. A comment on the need for paving a way within “sacred” institutions for people who are not male or blanco. Based on the conclusion of the film, it seems Rucka, too, might have plenty more to say on that matter in screenplay format if there is a sequel based on more of the comics.
