Director Guy Ritchie made a name for himself in Hollywood with the slick action and clever humor of his earliest films, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Though Ritchie evolved from crime comedies to tackle more well-known properties like Sherlock Holmes, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and, most recently, Disney's live-action Aladdin movie, he now returns to the gangster flicks on which he cut his teeth. Ritchie's latest is The Gentlemen, about an American expat in London turned marijuana kingpin who's looking to get out of the game. Ritchie delivers his signature blend of humor and action in spades in The Gentlemen, with a wildly clever script and uproariously entertaining comedy.
Ritchie, who wrote and directed The Gentlemen, employs a clever framing device to tell the story of Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), who's looking to sell his marijuana empire to fellow American expat Matthew Berger (Jeremy Strong). The movie kicks off with a promise of bloodshed, then pivots to investigative reporter Fletcher (Hugh Grant) telling the story to Mickey's right-hand man Raymond (Charlie Hunnam). Fletcher has a flare for the dramatic as he spins the tale of the newspaper editor Dave (Eddie Marsan) who wants to take Mickey down, as well as the rival gangster Dry Eye (Henry Golding), who also wants to buy Mickey's business. It's an exceptionally convoluted, if engaging plot that's helpfully broken up by little interactions between Fletcher and Raymond, which help to further set up Ritchie's big third act twists - of which there are many.
The Gentlemen script features a rare blend of smartly woven mystery and drama, with Ritchie setting the stakes high in the very first scene of the movie, then paying it off over the course of Fletcher's story and what happens after Fletcher finishes. But it's clear that Ritchie had plenty of fun writing many of the lines, just as it's clear the cast had a blast delivering them. Michelle Dockery, who plays Mickey's wife Rosalind, has some of the best line readings in the movie, including this gem: "There's fuckery afoot." The rhythm of the movie's script and the cast's genuine enthusiasm for the lines help to propel it forward when The Gentlemen gets too wrapped up in itself. There are sure to be moments when even the most sophisticated moviegoer loses the plot, and Ritchie's script is sometimes too clever for its own good. But The Gentlemen manages to dig itself out of every hole, even if it's done inelegantly at times and, on the whole, the movie makes for an entertaining ride.
Still, for all the clever ideas and plot twists Ritchie employs to surprise The Gentlemen viewers, the movie is also riddled with eye-rollingly outdated cliches. Much of the characterization of Dry Eye and the leader of his East Asian crime syndicate, Lord George (Tom Wu), paints both as Mickey's morally inferior rival crime lords. Where Mickey only deals in the non-deadly product of marijuana, Lord George deals in cocaine, heroine and human trafficking. And where Mickey is sophisticated, moving amidst the London gentry, Dry Eye is brash and vulgar, and at one point, attempts to rape one of the female characters - because apparently it's 2020 and filmmakers are still using rape/attempted rape as a lazy way of telling audiences a male character is bad. The dichotomy of Ritchie's smartly plotted story and these trite cliches is frustrating and will inevitably, and understandably, turn off many viewers.
For those that persevere, there is an entertaining gangster film at the heart of The Gentlemen. There's a frenetic energy to Ritchie's movie that comes in part from his directing style, and part from the cast's clear enjoyment of bringing the film to life. Though the movie is built around McConaughey's charming Mickey, and he works well enough as the central pillar, Grant and Hunnam are the real stars, having to deliver much of the story beats in a way that's both engaging and understandable. Thankfully, the two actors play off each other ridiculously well, with Grant giving a bawdy and hilarious performance as the slimy (and racist) Fletcher, while Hunnam plays the calm and commanding Raymond. The rest of the cast is similarly entertaining, excellently pulling off even the toughest of lines and scenes in Ritchie's script while making it look deceptively easy. Altogether, it makes for a wild ride in The Gentlemen that will hook viewers early and keep them laughing and guessing at what Ritchie has in store.
Ultimately, The Gentlemen won't be for everyone, but those that enjoy Ritchie's particular style will find plenty to love. The explicit and implicit sexism and racism will be enough to turn off some viewers, and the film's cliches will come off as all the more stale when compared to the otherwise clever script. Still, Ritchie and his cast are clearly having fun in his return to crime comedies, enough to buoy The Gentlemen amid its rougher moments. Since The Gentlemen is such a fast-paced romp, with Ritchie's frenetic energy propelling it forward, it's able to keep viewers hooked on the unfolding story, delivering plenty of slick action and clever humor along the way. With such a complicated plot, The Gentlemen may even warrant repeat viewings and thankfully, it's fun, entertaining and stylish enough to make make further trips to the theater well worth it.
The Gentlemen is now playing in U.S. theaters. It is 113 minutes long and rated R for violence, language throughout, sexual references and drug content.
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