After
becoming the last person anyone was expecting to be tasked with directing a
live action remake of Disney’s Aladdin, British writer-director Guy
Ritchie makes a bold return to the genre which put him on the map in the first
place: the action-comedy crime genre.
His last swipe at the genre comprised of snappy dialogue, cool if not
crass characters and unexpected brutality aided by an ensemble cast was 2008’s RocknRolla
before taking on the updated Sherlock Holmes franchise and hitting a
financial rut with King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Love him or hate him (I myself am somewhere
in the middle), Guy Ritchie’s self-stylized brand of cult crime cinema isn’t
going away anytime soon and for aficionados (and detractors) his latest
offering The Gentlemen represents another familiar genre exercise from the
iconoclastic writer-director.
The
typically overloaded ensemble cross-cutting narrative this time around focuses
on Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), head of a marijuana empire who finds
himself in the middle of a business turf war with varied gangsters trying to
pilfer his profits. Co-starring an
ensemble cast featuring Ritchie regular Charlie Hunnam, Michelle Dockery, Colin
Farrell and Hugh Grant, the Miramax production is another Ritchie offering
consisting of double-crossing, sneaky twists and grand revelations all told
through the underpinnings of urbane cool mixed in with cockney dialect. Far more interested in manner than the plot
developments, though there are many surprises ahead, The Gentlemen is
less about the story than it is about the personality of Mr. Ritchie.
Reportedly
McConaughey was frustrated initially with Ritchie’s approach but gradually came
into his own on set and the character makes you wonder where his hero from The
Beach Bum may have ended up if he got himself together. One surprising addition to the world of
Ritchie was Michelle Dockery, fresh off Downton Abbey who makes a
startling adjustment to the crassness and violence defining the world of a
Ritchie film. Also new to Ritchie’s
underworld is Colin Farrell who fits in nicely with the director’s brand of
cockney sass. Hugh Grant, returning from
The Man from U.N.C.L.E., clearly is having a lot of fun with Ritchie’s
dialogue. This is one of those movies
where whether you’re on board with Ritchie’s film or not, you can tell the cast
is enjoying themselves here.
The
Gentlemen won’t
woo detractors over to Ritchie’s side but will provide serviceable
entertainment for longstanding devotees.
As an action-comedy crime film the narrative interlocking threads and chronological
jumping ala Tarantino can be confusing for some. As a Ritchie film, it’s one of his stronger
and more accessible ones in some time and for fans a welcome return to
form. Not for everyone but for Lock,
Stock and Two Smoking Barrels fans, not to be missed!
--Andrew Kotwicki
