Too Old to Die Young is a neo-Western crime drama miniseries starring Miles Teller that has gone dramatically underappreciated in the six years since it premiered on Amazon Prime Video. Western miniseries are an underlooked version of the beloved Western genre, with most fans opting for multi-season stories.
Westerns by their very nature take some time to get going, mirroring the wide open landscapes, hazy rules, and grey moralities that the genre is filled with. However, I’d urge you to give the miniseries version of the Western a chance, and there are not many better places to start than with Too Old to Die Young.
Miles Teller Stars As A Haunted Police Officer In Too Old To Die Young
Too Old to Die Young is a 2019 Western crime drama miniseries that premiered on Amazon Prime Video and ran for 10 episodes. The series features a large ensemble of characters led by Miles Teller. Teller plays Martin Jones, a Los Angeles police officer who is grieving the recent death of his partner and friend in the line of duty.
It just so happens that the killer’s face was captured in a photograph taken by his victim, and Martin has it in his possession. Instead of bringing it to the police, Martin brings it to the local gang leader. In exchange for Martin performing a hit, the gang leader gives him the identity of the murderer.
Martin is thrust into the underworld of LA, coming face to face with Cartel members, the Russian mafia, the Yakuza, and gangs of killers comprised entirely of teenagers. As Martin falls deeper into the rabbit hole, he comes to learn some horrifying things about his former partner and himself.
Too Old To Die Young Is A Grim And Stylish Neo-Western TV Show
John Hawkes looking serious in Too Old To Die Young
Too Old to Die Young was created by Nicolas Winding Refn, the director of Drive, Only God Forgives, and The Neon Demon. Refn brings the stylish, noirish, Western-tinted filmmaking language of those movies to Too Old to Die Young and dives even deeper into the surreal than he ever has before.
The series is absurdist, dark, and often inexplicable, though the main thrust of the storyline is easy enough to follow along with. The mix of noir and crime drama fits well with the Western elements, and makes Too Old to Die Young feel like some kind of spiritual journey through the desert.
It’s certainly not a traditional Western, but the brutality of Martin’s world and the loneliness he endures certainly place it within the Western genre. With no plans for a Too Old to Die Young season 2, this is a series you can expect to have a satisfying, powerful ending.
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