“In the jungle, the only way a lion survives, not by acting like a king, by being a king.”
Director Guy Ritchie returns to his Action/Comedy roots in a very entertaining way with The Gentlemen. The story is fairly simple as we are introduced to the Bush (British slang for weed) kingpin of England (who was born in the States) in Mickey Pearson (Mathew McConaughey) as he is looking to retire and sell his empire, but of course the old Lion is being challenged on different sides. Dry Eye (Henry Golding) is looking to take down the old Lion by buying him out, while Fletcher (Hugh Grant) is slowly looking to expose his empire and its connections to the wealthy elite. This is where the craziness begins.
Putting my love for Ritchie’s movies aside, I understand that his style fits a certain niche that some people may not be a fan of. But one of the reasons that I admire his work so much is due to the clear voice that his movies have as he is usually the writer, producer & Director of his films. That is especially true with his latest project, but this isn’t just Snatch for 2020. I would argue that this is the most charismatic cast that Ritchie has assembled, with every major character getting just enough screen time to leave an impact. I would also call this a return to form for McConaughey who just chews up the scenery the only way that he can, it was so great to see him actually chopping his teeth and enjoying being in this movie, he was so fun.
The way that the story is set up and executed is similar, yet feels different than how some other movies tell a story. I would almost go on to say that the movie is a movie within a movie, which sounds strange on paper but actually works with how it turns out. In addition to McConaughey, Henry Golding, Hugh Grant, Charlie Hunnam (no accent required) & Colin Farrell all bring the comedic chops to every part of this story. With special recognition to Farrell who in my opinion stole the movie for me as I wanted more of his character since he was so good (and hilarious).
I’m also glad that Hunnam got to really settle in his role as Pearson’s right hand man, who gets much more screen time than you think he would. Overall right from the beautiful smoky credits that puts you in the mood, the story doesn’t let up and you can’t wait to see what happens next. There weren’t as many “Ritchieism’s” but when needed they fit the story and revealed another side of the conflict. I would say that The Gentlemen doesn’t try to be anything different than what it is. And I had no problem with it, it did not feel too long as the story flies pretty quick and I wasn’t worried about the time. The music choices and the editing are as good as ever. I would very much recommend this film as it is more of a comedy than an action movie, even though the action is very good.
The Verdict