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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

The Old Man

Jeff Bridges in The Old Man.

Streaming on FX

If you’re one of the people who believe Jeff Bridges is a national treasure, then you already know that this smart, moody thriller filled with twists is not to be missed. If you’re not yet one of those people, here’s your chance to see how Bridges builds and animates a role. In The Old Man, which streams on FX, Bridges plays a former C.I.A. operative. Thirty years earlier, during the depths of the Cold War, he gathered secrets as an agent on the ground in Afghanistan, during the Soviet occupation. Now his past has caught up with him, and someone in the government wants to settle some scores. Speaking of great actors, the other treat here is the operative assigned to bring him in: John Lithgow. —Michael Hainey

Photo: Courtesy of FX