Directed by Guy Ritchie, The Gentlemen follows an American marijuana kingpin (Matthew McConaughey) in England who is looking to sell his business, which sets off a chain of blackmail and schemes meant to undermine him and make his wealthy business open to be taken over.
This is Guy Ritchie’s return to unhinged and hugely entertaining crime thrillers, with an ensemble cast, that he was always best known for in his career. He feels more at home and in his element with this genre than he did with Aladdin, and you can really see it. This was a smart, hilarious, violent, full of hard language and entertaining original film that was such a breath of fresh air in such a franchise heavy era, and it demonstrates just how talented of a director Guy Ritchie is.
There is also a lot of rewatch value in this movie, not only for its fantastic performances, but also its narrative that has interesting elements of ambiguity. It makes me feel bad that I didn’t go to the theaters when this was initially released in January, because I seriously loved this movie and would have loved to have experienced it in theaters.
Let’s start with the cast, which includes Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Colin Farrell, Michelle Dockery, Henry Golding, Hugh Grant and many others. Matthew McConaughey as the kingpin Mickey Pearson delivers an electric performance with such flair and charm that no matter what line he says he makes it so damn fun. However, Mickey is also an aggressive competitor in England’s underworld who is not willing to give up his business so easily despite the events that occur. He is a fighter, but also someone who is cautious and uncertain about who to trust, even among his own associates. McConaughey plays the character so well, making this one of his best performances in recent years, but he isn’t the only one that stands out.
Charlie Hunnam as the character Ray, an associate of Pearson, brings an equally energized and entertaining performance as a man who is calm and calculated, but at the same time takes no bullshit from anyone and is willing to go guns blazing if he has to. He had some of the best scenes and one of the best plot lines in the story.
We also have Colin Farrell as Coach, which honestly has to be the funniest role he has had since In Bruges. He’s an absolute blast in this and delivers many gut busting laughs. Michelle Dockery is also stellar as the wife to the marijuana kingpin, who has just as much fight in her as he does.
But by far one of the most major stand outs was Hugh Grant as the sleazy Fletcher. He has been absent from the big screen for a really long time and he was almost unrecognizable in this, and was so damn perfect as a man who has made his way around England’s underbelly, making some shady connections. This was such an awesome performance to an already great cast. His character also happens to be making a film screenplay, based on his time spent with various criminal organizations, that he wants to sell, that is both pretty meta and has some humorous jabs at filmmaking. He also delivers a lot of the plot to us, which also happens to be included in the screenplay he is making, which includes information about characters and events that you are never entirely sure actually happened or are exaggerated. It adds mystery and makes the narrative more engaging because it makes you want to really look and pick up on things throughout the film.
The rest of the cast is also great, delivering either hilarious or vicious performances in the style of Guy Ritchie.
The story starts out with a lot of things that come at you really fast which you may struggle to keep up with. But the story eventually does pick up as things kick into high gear, and never stops being so entertaining and engaging. It never gets boring at any point, even during the smaller scenes, which can usually be a big issue with some crime thrillers.
The action is fun, violent and filmed perfectly in Guy Ritchie’s unrestrained style. The cinematography is pitch perfect, featuring stellar shots that add so much to the tension, thrills and even the humor. There is so much you can analyze that you can’t do in just one viewing, which is what adds to the rewatch value. The soundtrack is also great and definitely a good one to listen to.
I really wasn’t expecting to love this movie as much as did, and yet here we are. It has so much to offer and is absolutely worth repeat viewings, with its excellent performances, clever and engaging narrative, and crafted to perfection. Like Da 5 Bloods and Tenet this is yet another original film that deserves a lot of recognition. I’m going to give The Gentlemen an A+.
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