An intriguing American thriller that imagines the CIA’s relentless pursuit of a deserter who absconded from them decades before, The Old Man is an adaptation of Thomas Perry’s 2017 novel of the same name. Dan Chase (Jeff Bridges) may appear a harmless senior citizen (his phone text settings are on max font size and he always takes his acid-reflux tablets) but lying dormant beneath his aged exterior is a man capable of unfiltered and unimaginable violence.

^{He may be old, but Jeff Bridges still packs a punch}

The Disney+ original, created for television by Jonathan E Steinberg and Robert Levine has a slow start but picks up in fine style by its third episode. While earlier fight scenes between Chase and the authorities appear as deliberately long-winded and desperate scuffles (perhaps to emphasise his advancing years), the character settles back into his old heinous habits as the opening episodes progress. The show has little backing music which creates an atmosphere that feels less dramatised and much grittier.

John Lithgow, Alia Shawkat and EJ Bonilla play the team of intelligence officers going after this infamous absconder. Harold Harper (Lithgow) has his own past with Chase, which he must either face or bury. Flitting between the connected plots, this worthwhile watch is a curated package of slowly revealed secrets, surprise twists and high-intensity action.

New episodes available every Wednesday on Disney+.