Because it's a movie, the other two agree. Carney thinks it would be fun. Strasberg is reticent, but soon comes around. Carney surreptitiously takes three handguns from the safe of his nearby nephew, Charles Hallahan.
Because it is a movie, the bank robbery takes place without a hitch. Soon the culprits are back home dividing the loot, which they agree to stash in Hallahan's basement.
Alas, Strasberg dies from a heart attack. Although Burns and Carney have never before been on a plane, they decide to catch a flight to Las Vegas and do some gambling. Because it is a movie, they are big winners, about tripling their 40K haul from the bank robbery.
Burns and Carney decide to give the money to Hallahan, in return for a weekly stipend. Carney dies of a heart attack. Burns is arrested for the robbery, but the Feds don't know where the loot is hidden. Burns is sent to the penitentiary. Hallahan gets to keep the money, which he sorely needs to support his wife and kids.
How others will see it. Going in Style was well received, though ignored by the Oscars and Golden Globes. At the Venice Film Festival, Brest was nominated for the Golden Lion, and the three veteran leads won Best Actor.
Today at imdb.com, the movie has a respectable 7.1 user rating, which rises to 7.3 among U.S. viewers. The user reviews are predominantly highly positive, with much sympathy expressed for the three old-timers and their characters.
How I felt about it. Given the age of the leads, one suspects that the director was elderly, as well. This was not the case. Martin Brest was only 27 during the film's production. It was the feature of note for Brest, whose prior work was a short (later used on "Saturday Night Live") and the obscure feature Hot Tomorrows.
Although it took a few years, Brest's career soared after directing Beverly Hills Cop, Midnight Run, Scent of a Woman, and Meet Joe Black. But it all came crashing down after he produced, wrote, and directed the mega-bomb Gigli (2003).
Concerning Going in Style, the pleasure in the movie is seeing its stars in action. Strasberg is best known for playing Hyman Roth in The Godfather Part II, one of the most lauded films of all time. Carney was the second lead in the influential "Honeymooners" television series, and later won an Oscar for Best Actor in Harry and Tanto. Burns' Oscar came from The Sunshine Boys, though he made a greater cultural impression in playing the almighty in Oh, God!.
Carney was only 59 years old during the filming of Going in Style, younger than, for example, Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick. Despite being almost a quarter-century younger than George Burns, and too young to collect Social Security, Carney does not appear to be miscast, since he looks older than he is.
There are some amusing moments in the movie. Carney flirts with a hooker, oblivious to her profession. Burns shoots out a clock in the bank. Burns won't let a baggage handler touch his bag, which is stuffed with currency. These comic touches help compensate for the film's depressing tragedies. Two of the three leads die, and the third is imprisoned. The film provides social commentary about how the elderly pass time while waiting for the appearance of Grim Reaper.