★★★★
Mickey Pearson is an American expatriate who became rich by building a marijuana empire in London. When word gets out that he's looking to cash out of the business, it soon triggers an array of plots and schemes from those who want his fortune.
Classification: 18
After a whimsical song-filled romp in the Mouse's magic kingdom, Guy Ritchie gladly returns to his familiar stomping grounds with another foray into the British criminal underworld. While not as volatile as his past genre-defining pieces, The Gentlemen is still an entertaining, stylish crime drama with plenty of action and laughs brought to life by an impressive ensemble. Themes on the dwindling influence of British aristocracy, foreign influences in crime, and modernisation in information distribution fuel Ritchie's patented gangster aesthetic about Matthew McConaughey's slick ganja guru Mickey Pearson and his associates having to fend off insidious plots to thwart his criminal dealings.
The Ritchie protagonists of the past; hard, tough, young up and comers who become embroiled in London's criminal underworld are updated to reflect a more mature cast of characters although all the vulgarity is still prevalent. The titular gentlemen are collected but still restrained, letting rational cunning fuel their plots which makes their violent and emotional outbursts all the more engaging. In fact, the more recognisable Ritchie archetypes of old are seen in the antagonists Henry Golding and Eddie Marsan's performances; where their macho bravado is played for comedy and foolishness. The majority of Ritchie's screenplay frames the action of the film around a conversation and replaying of events between Hugh Grant's investigative report Fletcher and Charlie Hunnam's Raymond, Pearson's consigliere. Grant steals the show with his morally questionable storyteller (although one wonders if it's actually Grant or deep method commitment from the unquestionably talented Phoenix Buchanan) with Grant also having a great flirtatious banter to Hunnam's more deadpan, exasperated Ray. None of Fletcher's banter is played as gay panic or effeminate men bashing as Jeremy Strong's performance is also quite suave and teasing when going to toe to toe with McConaughey. It speaks to more mature handling of the characters on Ritchie's part, they don't need to be hardened criminals to be engaging characters and to see everyone embrace a more playful side makes it all the more fun. Yes, these characters are still criminals and sleazebags but Ritchie imbues them with a fresh sense of personality and charm.
Things still go wrong for them all however as Ritchie through Grant and Hunnam's chemistry in their back and forth crafts an interesting mystery for who is interfering in Pearson's business. It's a ripple effect, actions having unforeseen consequences that bring in unsuspecting characters and decisions and revelations that can only be made sense by Grant's delightfully cockney accented investigator. Ritchie makes not so subtle digs at modern British press and their predatory practices on spying for gossip towards personal vendettas or gain. To see Grant a vocal critic and witness at the Leveson Inquiry chew the scenery in a role that sees him embody those that he truly despises is great comedic irony. It works well because Fletcher is played more for comedy, his meta-commentary on the film's dramatic structure speaks not only to Ritchie's passion for the genre but also dramatises the stakes of The Gentlemen. He's an aficionado for film and even presents Raymond with a possible screenplay of the film's events in the introductory scenes, it allows Ritchie to play around with the verisimilitude of the film but also to comment on how the feuds between criminals really do play out like melodramatic performances.
Betrayals! Subterfuge! Violence! Gunfights! Assassinations and Defenestration! Oh My! The Gentlemen is jam-packed with plenty of drama for Ritchie to entertain his audience with. There are pacing issues at times but The Gentlemen always reels you back in either through Grant and Hunnam's rapport or another shocking monkey wrench being thrown into the gears. The film takes its time to assemble its players and make its reveals, nothing mind-blowing or game-changing but just solid, absorbing gangster fun with some surprising hilarity and payoffs for its characters. The decline of British influence on the world stage is at play as well, with London now just a battleground for American and Chinese criminals to make their millions, with McConaughey, Golding and Strong's characters all circling one another like sharks, even a Russian oligarch or two pops in. Whether it be Ritchie's opinions on Brexit and how modern nationalism stagnates progress it is an interesting image to see the great manor houses and dignitaries of high society be reduced to mere tools in Pearson's drug empire while a more modern, youthful Britain is represented through gangster grime music, viral videos and rebellious behaviour.
The entire ensemble is terrific with McConaughey leading this talented bunch, still cool as ever especially now since he's rocking tweed suits and a flat cap. He's the coolest cat in the room and he knows it, commanding authority and fear with ease as Pearson's love for sweet mary jane and his wife Rosalind portrayed by Michelle Dockery in her delightfully natural Essex accent makes him a criminal easy to root for. Pearson alongside Raymond, voice their distaste for other drugs particularly opium finding a marijuana empire far more humanitarian in approach. Golding's arrogant, impatient antagonist Dry Eye, a Chinese British gangster is more aligned towards Pearson's distastes immediately creating conflict between them as Pearson rejects Dry Eye's offer for purchasing his empire and favours Jeremy Strong's Matthew Berger instead. Golding along with most of the cast hams it up well and makes for a loathsome villain with his immature actions. Dockery is a delight in her few scenes, The Gentlemen as the title suggests is mostly about the men but Ritchie is able to make it clear that Rosalind is a force to be reckoned with, the sex appeal of her character speaking more to how this culture and these men view women as commodity rather than Ritchie indulging in fantasy. Pearson clearly loves Rosalind but the idea that she is an extension of his empire is made more apparent as the tension ratchets up, that she may be "property" especially when Dry Eye starts dropping by. Dockery is so fierce in her portrayal however that its a shame she just seems to be an accessory to McConaughey's conflicts.
The Gentlemen has a great style to it, in the presentation of its London and how it combines the different cultures within, even opening with a Bond-inspired credits sequence. Alongside Grant, the other scene-stealer of the film is Colin Farrell's Coach, the classic former criminal turned community leader as he tries to steer the younger generations away from a life of crime. That doesn't mean Coach won't get his hands dirty though as the ripple effect of Dry Eye and Pearson's conflict forces Coach to form an alliance with Raymond. Michael Wilkinson's costume design thrives as everyone is dressed to the nines, in fine tweed suits, leather jackets, and Farrell's impeccable plaid tracksuits, this amazing visual combination of modern and classic attire.
An extension of what The Gentlemen is, a combination and examination of the classic and the new and how it all can survive in this contentious jungle of crime and disorder. Pearson claims the only law of the jungle is that the King survives by being the king, not just by acting like it so Ritchie makes the authenticity and truth to the characters their best tool for survival. All in his classic fashion, Ritchie puts his foul-mouthed gentlemen to the test as laws are broken and integrities are tested, leaving audiences enthralled by great performances, vulgar hilarity and gripping action.
Director: #GuyRitchie
Cast: #MatthewMcConaughey, #CharlieHunnam, #HenryGolding, #MichelleDockery, #JeremyStrong, #EddieMarsan, #ColinFarrell, #HughGrant
Release Date: January 1st 2020
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images from the Internet Movie Database, Synopsis from Google
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