The Gentlemen
(STX Films/Miramax Films)
By Lucas Allen
After striking box office gold with his live-action version of Disney’s “Aladdin,” director Guy Ritchie has returned to the genre that made him famous, with dark gangster comedies like “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch.”
His new film, “The Gentlemen,” offers the director’s longtime fans something both fresh and nostalgic for his early days. In fact, he’s assembled an all-star cast of actors who’ve previously starred in his films.
The plot revolves around American entrepreneur Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), who transformed himself into London’s most prominent underground marijuana businessman. He and his auto-repair wife, Rosalind (Michelle Dockery), have also became part of high society from their successes. One day, he decides to retire from his business before managing to find his successor, another American, named Matthew Berger (Jeremy Strong). But Mickey starts to find himself in a peg when he rejects an offer from mob informant Dry Eye (Henry Golding) to buy out his empire. This begins a chain of events that will put many characters in the firing line.
First, a gang of breakdancing thieves spearheaded by Coach (Colin Farrell) rob Mickey’s secret base of operations. Then a sleazy reporter named Fletcher (Hugh Grant) is hired by tabloid editor Big Dave (Eddie Marsan) to dig some dirt on Mickey’s business. The reporter even shows off his findings to Mickey’s business partner Raymond (Charlie Hunnam) in the form of a screenplay he has written.
Throughout the movie, the story is recounted from Fletcher’s script with testimonial rebuttals from Raymond. It offers interesting viewpoints about whether or not any of the events presented did happen. This allows the viewer to interpret and analyze the story in any way they see it. Unfortunately, the main story gets rudely interrupted by a subplot involving Raymond trying to get a young woman out of a group of drug-addicted friends. Although it does come into play at the end of the movie, it could’ve been either cut down or rewritten to keep the film going at its tight pace.
There are some traces of early Ritchie to be found in this film, with his sharp dialogue and enjoyable action. But fans will likely be disappointed that it doesn’t feel as fresh as some of his earlier titles. Those who were just discovering him through his Sherlock Holmes series will more than likely find some interest in exploring more of his filmography. In any case, this film is a nice gateway for newcomers alike who want to see his signature style.
McConaughey fits well into the role of a southern-fried drug kingpin with lots of grit added to his charismatic charm. Both Hunnam and Grant work well off each other giving their scenes some intense hilarity, while the latter oozes slime and scum in every one of his scenes. Though underused, Farrell shines with a heavily Irish accent to accentuate his performance.
While not one of his best films, “The Gentlemen” is average Guy Ritchie. with a nice dose of entertaining dark comedy.
It works fine on its own if you just want to see something different after endless hours of Netflix streaming at home.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: R (for violence, language throughout, sexual references, and drug content)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.25 Stars (Out of Four)
