STX Entertainment releases The Gentlemen trailer, teasing the latest feature from English filmmaker Guy Ritchie. The crime comedy features an all-star cast, and will reportedly capture the spirit of early Ritchie films like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. The Gentlemen was produced by Miramax and filmed in London.
In The Gentlemen, Matthew McConaughey portrays a successful marijuana distributor in London. When the American expat decides to call it quits, he discovers a highly complex plot to preemptively take over the business. The Gentlemen’s screenplay was written by Ritchie, who also co-produced the film. The supporting cast features Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy), Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), Jeremy Strong (Succession), and Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan). Both Colin Farrell and Hugh Grant also have supporting roles in The Gentlemen.
STX Entertainment released The Gentlemen trailer, which begins with a cryptic conversation between Grant’s Fletcher and Hunnam’s Ray. The two men speak of a “game,” one that theoretically involves a plot to bring down Ray’s boss, Mickey Pearson (McConaughey). Grant is nearly unrecognizable as the smooth-talking schemer, whose dialogue establishes the protagonist, the antagonist, and all of the main players. Meanwhile, McConaughey’s character is essentially framed as an out-of-touch and paranoid relic from the past, who strategizes with Ray and dishes out clever lion metaphors. The major conflict, it seems, is that Pearson’s right-hand man, Ray, knows there’s a plot in place but doesn’t necessarily understand how everything will play out. Overall, the trailer’s pacing and one-liners are indeed similar to the aforementioned Ritchie films. Check out The Gentlemen trailer below.
After directing the 2017 box office flop King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Ritchie landed a major hit with the 2019 blockbuster Aladdin. Produced for $183 million, the Disney film topped $1 billion in theater revenue, and allowed Ritchie more flexibility while pursuing his follow-up project, The Gentlemen. Given that Ritchie hasn’t directed a similar film since the 2008 gem RocknRolla, his new crime comedy will likely provide the nostalgia that many fans are looking for.
Based on The Gentlemen trailer, Ritchie will not only capitalize on throwback appeal, but stick with a familiar template that will likely ensure another hit. If Aladdin had failed, The Gentlemen might’ve been considered a potential come-back film, but now it will undoubtedly function as a primer for a bigger and better project. As the streaming wars continue to change the landscape of modern cinema and television, Ritchie might soon have the opportunity to write and direct for a major streaming service. But only time will tell if he wants to go big or focus more on storytelling with a production that’s similar to The Gentlemen, both in style and spirit.
Source: STX Entertainment
