The Gentlemen

Guy Ritchie and Hugh Grant... Any takers?

When I saw the trailer for this movie I could see how it could be a good film but I just wasn't convinced because Henry Golding had previously been in a Christmas musical that looked dreadful and I actively avoided and Matthew McConaughey has had a very questionable career. I wanted to see Michelle Dockery take on a different role from Lady Mary in Downton Abbey (I loved her in Hogfather) but the biggest selling point was trying to work out how Hugh Grant could possibly fit in to this film.

Simple answer: This is the most un Hugh Grantish role he has ever taken on. Newspaper reporter Fletcher (Grant) attempts to blackmail a drug producer (McConaughey) for 20 million by writing a story and film script for a series of events that had previously taken place. He effectively is the narrator in this film and we get to see his adaptations and fantasies before hearing the real truth from someone else. He smokes, drinks and swears a lot without the typical upper class accent we have come to expect from him.

This film is a typical Guy Ritchie film. Action, guns, East end type of film. I loved it. When you combine the already mentioned cast with Colin Farrel then you know that you are in for a laugh and a lot of action. In some ways the plot is a little predictable but you think you know what has happened until the end and then you realise that you really don't know what has happened. All you managed to deduce correctly is that Matthew payed someone to hire someone else to steal product from his future business partner so that he could pay less when buying out Micheal Pearson (McConaughey). Everything else is a lot of fun and not what you expected. Three parties turns in to four. Dead bodies appear in the most peculiar places (such as freezers) and the means of how they arrived there is quite probably not what you were expecting.

This is one of the few films which was watched by both of us who supposedly run this blog. Esther and I both loved Michelle Dockery in this film. She was so different but not overdone in any way. Not helpless or too violent. Simple, strong and she was equally matched by her husband. She has a strong career moving forward as she displays diversity in abundance. 'The Gentlemen' is a classic example of a night in with your male adult friends. Pizza, a few beers and a lot of fun with action and drama to accompany it. The plot is solid and one of the better plots to have graced the adult world of cinema in a few years.

I recently wrote about 'Knives Out' and how I thought that it had a really strong plot and a natural feel to the film. I feel the same way about this movie. Nothing was overdone, no character was overplayed and the plot was overly complicated or overly simplified. This film has the perfect balance of known names and natural talent. The perfect balance of action and humour. Blood but no gore, gangster but not unnecessary violence. Adult because of the swearing and the gun use but otherwise it could have received a lower rating. This is one of the best Ritchie films out there. The film industry is mostly stepping the right direction. You get a few films each year with dreadful plots (Star Wars) but most of them are now focusing more on the story line and less on the visual effects.

The Gentlemen is genius and a very enjoyable film.