The Nice Guys always had the feel of the 1970s. The Shane Black-directed crime comedy/thriller, starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, is set in that decade, and from the look of things is filled to the brim with the fashions, furniture, and facial hair of the time. One of the film's earlier trailers even used the ‘70s version of the Warner Bros. logo to set the tone early on.

The marketing for the upcoming release has brought things full circle, giving the movie a new "retro" trailer, which not only manages to sell the film as a fun buddy comedy, it also lays the ‘70s themes on even thicker. Through the magic of filters and some digitally inserted artifacts, the trailer looks as though it was shot and produced like the trailer of an actual ‘70s movie.

While the footage in the new trailer isn’t especially different from what has been seen in the more conventional movie trailers, the voiceover, music, on-screen titles, and structure are definitely straight from the 1970s.  There’s even an "and introducing…" credit for actress Kim Basinger, who started her acting career in 1976.

Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in The Nice Guys

The film stars Gosling as a private detective and Crowe as an enforcer, attempting to solve the case of both a missing girl and the death of a porn star, all leading into an even bigger conspiracy. Black, whose last two movies as director were Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3 , co-wrote with Anthony Bagarozzi. And along with Gosling, Crowe, and Basinger, the film also includes Matt Bomer (Magic Mike XXL), Keith David, Yaya DaCosta (TRON: Legacy), and The Leftovers' Margaret Qually.

Judging by the earlier red-band trailer, some webisodes, and now the new ‘70s trailer, The Nice Guys looks as thought it has what it takes to be a summertime crowd-pleaser. Thanks in large part to its co-writer and director, the film has a lively tone, one that's reminiscent of such Southern California crime pictures of the past as Inherent Vice, The Salton Sea, and even Boogie Nights.

Whether he's writing films like Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, or The Long Kiss Goodnight, or writing and directing something like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Black excels at creating dynamic partnerships that are highly entertaining, due in part to the intense (but always funny) conflict that later becomes genuine camaraderie between the two leads. As always, opposites attract, and from what's been seen in the trailers, as well as the viral videos depicting Gosling and Crowe in therapy, The Nice Guys will keep the Shane Black tradition of unforgettable onscreen partnerships alive.

The Nice Guys comes out May 20, 2016.

Source: Warner Bros. Pictures