“I talk Raymondo of Dry Eye. Oh Dry Eye, what is he? Chinese, Japanese, Pekingese, get on your fucking knees. Dirty dragon filth. Yellow is the colour, gambling is the game”
Fletcher – Hugh Grant
Suits, guns, gangsters, whiskey, weed. Humour, violence, swagger, panache, weed. The Gentlemen has it all and more. Aside from a lot of weed and a gratuitous use of the C word, Guy Ritchie’s latest production doesn’t fail to impress. There’s little more to say then go it and watch as soon as possible. No it’s not going to win any awards (and it didn’t), but some absolutely stellar performances, accompanied with a terrific script makes for some very entertaining cinema. Ritchie’s iconic style is prominent throughout, with some returning faces of those that come with the Ritchie name. Performances from Charlie Hunnam (Ray), Matthew McConaughey (Michael Pearson), Michelle Dockery (Rosalind Pearson), and Henry Gould (Dry Eye) are classy and well developed, while a standout portrayal of a sleazy PI from Hugh Grant (Fletcher) is perhaps his best yet. Jeremy Strong (Matthew) and Colin Farrell (Coach) add apposing ends to the spectrum but both equally fantastic, and a great cinematic debut from rapper Bugzy Malone (Ernie) flavours the film with a dashing of grime in bizarre measures. To accompany great acting, Ritchie’s typically cinematic feature is eye catching and inventive, and the score knits in perfectly between the dialogue. The production design is good, as are the costumes. Really it is excellent.
The Gentlemen begins with a flash forward of the later film and Mickey Pearson’s apparent demise, surreptitiously leading into the present and a welcome introduction to Fletcher. Grant leaves nothing to the imagination, with blatant homoerotic innuendoes, and flavourful language, but the narrative is so well put together in a narration lead script, jumping between the present and Fletcher’s story. In a fashion typical of Guy Ritchie, a montage gives Pearson’s backstory and how he runs his operation, with a fantastic script that hops back and forth between Ray and Fletcher – similar to Ritchie’s rendition of King Arthur. This is the pattern of the film and just does not let the viewer disengage from the screen for a second, it’s such an engaging visual. One of the most memorable parts all include Ernie, Bugzy Malone’s debut in cinema, and his troop of thugs. They produce this bizarre thing called ‘fight porn’ (which I assume is an actual thing but I won’t be adding that to my search history), and is essentially them beating up a groups of people, filming it, and editing grime rap over the top turning it into some sort of music video type flick. Very odd, but makes for great viewing within the film and helps to break up the telephone number figures that are thrown around whenever money is in the equation. The tip of the iceberg for Ernie and his cronies is undoubtably the punishment they devise with their boss (or Coach – Colin Farrell) for a newspaper mogul (played by Eddie Marsden), to whom Fletcher is investigating for, involving a pig. I’d rather not say much more on that particular subject. There are very few films that make me cackle in the cinema, and fewer films still that I happily pay to see twice. This was certainly one that did.
If you haven’t gathered by now, I really liked this movie. There are few things I can find to fault, except the overuse of profanity in the ‘C’ variety, if you get my drift. If you’re not as much of a fan of Guy Ritchie’s style as I am, this probably won’t be the film for you. But if you like a violent, rude, hilarious two hour escape, this is definitely the film for you. Ritchie’s ability to create an engaging storyline that twists and turns at every moment and always ends up with the protagonists winning in some elaborate, but often fortuitous way, coupled with well shot and well edited cinematography, and enacted by a collection of very eclectic performers, makes for, quite simply, a brilliant two hours.
Awards
N/A
Ratings
Cinematography – 8/10
Storyline – 9/10
Editing – 8/10
Sound/Score – 8/10
Acting – 9/10
Overall – 8.5/10
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