By Shane Conto
How would you describe the career of Guy Ritchie? You can really break his career down into two parts. The first half of his career centered around British gangster movies which helped launch the careers of actors like Jason Statham. Then there is the post Sherlock Holmes era where big studios wanted to inject their blockbusters with a little bit of Guy Ritchie flair. But for some reason or another, these films never really clicked. Many would argue that Ritchie peaked with his beloved gangster movie Snatch which came out 20 years ago. But Ritchie is back with another outing that really captures his talents, The Gentlemen.
The beginning of the film starts off a little rough as it tries to set up a vast field of characters all through the flashy story-telling talents of the scummy Fletcher, played with absolute delight by Hugh Grant. This story-telling device can get clunky at times, especially in the first act of the film. The story is choppy and it is hard to really connect with any of the characters at the early stages. But once the story falls into place, we are off to the races. What started as a clunky and flashy exposition dump turns into a high energy and enthralling rollercoaster ride of back-stabbings and c-words. The Gentlemen really captures Guy Ritchie with his shortcomings in terms of falling into style-over-substance filmmaking but is absolutely sharp and engaging at its best. Overall, Ritchie shows he is really back to form as the pacing of the later 2/3 of the film is breakneck and the impressive editing keeps you on your toes.
Is this film over-the-top and silly? Yes. Is that a bad thing? Hell no.
In terms of the writing, this story is filled to the brim with characters and plenty of detail. When things are lining up, it can feel overwhelming with the amount of characters to follow. But the device of a sleazy P.I. telling this ridiculous tale with even more ridiculous flair helps grab the audience. What is real? Or what is conjecture? The Gentlemen will keep you guessing. Ritchie does a great job of surprising the audience with false pitfalls and unrelenting twists and turns. The amount of detail that fills this story is remarkable and somehow this story always finds a way to bring it back in a meaningful way.
Honestly, the most enjoyable part of this whole affair is the stacked collection of memorable characters portrayed with great zeal from this star-studded and talented cast. Matthew McConaughey leads the pack as our lead, Mickey Pearson, a sharp-suit wearing, “grass” kingpin. McConaughey oozes cool and has a few moments where he really gets to chew it up. Charlie Hunnam is in his element working with Ritchie as he gets to provide a snarky and cool performance. Michelle Dockery portrays McConaughey’s wife and in one particular scene she is able to grab the audience’s attention. I expected to see Dockery show her talents elsewhere soon. Jeremy Strong and Henry Golding get to give some committed supporting turns but the show is really stolen by two of the biggest names in the film, Colin Farrell and Hugh Grant. Farrell’s sharp and cutting humor and charm can only be matched by his impeccable track suit game. Grant gets to really shine as he is the audience’s conduit throughout the film. When Grant lets his leading man looks and charm fade away, it opens his talents up to truly great character work like this performance as Fletcher. You can see his disgusting sleaziness pour out as he flirts and toys with Hunnam’s Ray.
Once this gangster flick gets things settled and going, it becomes something quite special. Ritchie’s flair and sharp wit fills this film to the brim with laughs and excitement. An impressively shot film as well, The Gentlemen oozes cool like its protagonist. The music choices are on point as they elevate the identity of each scene. Check out this one as audiences are treated to Guy Ritchie back in his element and back to form.