Guy Ritchie doesn’t only make British gangster films but they are to him what the View Askewniverse films (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Bob, etc.) are to Kevin Smith, in other words his bread and butter and best films. The Gentlemen is his latest installment in that genre.
Most directors don’t have their first film become an instant classic but like John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood, Ritchie’s current highest rated film on Rotten Tomatoes is his first: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, at a criminally underrated 75%. Although, as I’m writing this, I’m seeing The Gentlemen is his second highest at 74%, with Snatch at 73%?! Come on reviewers! (They both have a 93% Audience Score as well as Lock Stock and Snatch pulling an impressive 8.2 and 8.3 on IMDB respectively so there’s some justice in the world.)
The formula of charismatic and witty male friendship dynamics is really fun to see. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch are modern-day guy movie classics. His 2005 Revolver is part crime film and part weird quasi philosophy essay that didn’t end up working. RocknRolla was his next gangster movie and while not living up to his first two films, still really worked for me with a great cast and a lot of fun sequences. (Still waiting for the sequel The Real RocknRolla…).
Let’s face it, one of the big joys of watching these films is seeing the badass get to have his show off moment and watching the other characters who crossed them get their comeuppance. The fun of Guy Ritchie’s films is there are multiple groups of badasses and you’re never quite sure who will end up on top but the Battle Royale is a delight to see play out.
Unfortunately some of the characters that The Gentlemen builds up fail to deliver. Matthew McConaughey’s character is supposed to be this wunderkind who is also capable of the ruthlessness and violence to succeed in the underworld but he never does anything really notable. He’s barely violent and we never see him do anything that makes us go “Wow, this guy’s sharp!” It’s mostly his capable lieutenant played by Charlie Hunnam. Unfortunately, Hunnam’s character isn’t that interesting either. He spends most of the movie either ordering a henchman to do some underwhelming violence, or sitting back looking coy while Hugh Grant carries the scenes. Speaking of, at least Hugh Grant’s performance stands out, and Colin Farrell was a great subdued presence. Jeremy Strong’s effeminate affect is quite a departure from those used to seeing him in Succession. (Pitch for a better movie: seeing Logan from Succession take on McConaughey’s character instead.)
Fun fact: The girl who plays Laura is Sting’s daughter. Sting appeared in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. He was convinced to join the cast after watching Ritchie’s short which is available to watch here: https://rarefilmm.com/2019/10/the-hard-case-1995/
Bottom Line: Even as a fan of his other gangster movies, I don’t think it’s worth the opportunity cost to watch.
If you liked this, you might like to read what I thought of The Irishman after waiting thirteen years to see it:
Male Friendships, Witty Banter, and Violence: My Review of The Gentlemen (2019)
Or why I think Harrison Ford has had the great film career of all time:
Make me feel like a special snowflake and subscribe here:
Thoughts, questions, or suggestions for how I can improve? Email me.
Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for the goodies I don’t post here!