By Glenn Kenny
March 17, 2022
This documentary centered on the blues musician Buddy Guy is a very good rather than a great movie. But any opportunity to spend almost two hours in the company of Buddy Guy is an opportunity not to be missed.
Directed by Jim Farrell, “The Torch” takes an unusual tack. It’s as much about Guy’s sense of mission as it is about his stunning musicianship. It begins with Guy on acoustic guitar, singing of how his mother identified him as a blues man when he was only 2 years old. Then we’re at Guy’s Chicago nightclub, Legends, following a young man into the club. He appears to be a fan, but he’s there to play. He’s Quinn Sullivan, a youthful protégé of Guy’s. He’s one of several musicians to whom Guy is passing the torch of the movie’s title.