The Gentlemen

This review may contain spoilers!

Guy Ritchie goes back to his mobster film roots and I honestly couldn't be happier. I would give The Gentlemen an 8.5/10.

The Gentlemen is about Cannabis kingpin Mickey Pearson attempting to sell his drug empire and get out of the criminal game. Unfortunately for Mickey it's not easy staying on top and in no time at all competition smells blood in the water. I am an avid fan of Guy Ritchie films, he's one of my all time favourite directors and this sort of feature takes me right back to films like Snatch or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The film is packaged and guided really well by an unreliable narrator, in the form of a sleazy private investigator looking to make top dollar and this style, while jarring at first, winds up forming a great frame for the delivery of this film. There are so many diverse and interesting characters and factions who all want their own piece of the pie, all of which is based in the future of Pearson's criminal empire. It is a classic feature that showcases the criminals with hearts of gold, pitted against the upstarts who only wish to backstab and rock the boat. Ultimately the film is a strong dispensation on karmic justice and the rule of the jungle, it is mean streets and meaner justice. True to Guy Ritchie's normal black comedy style I had a lot to laugh about while watching this film, if you're a fan of his classics then this is a must watch. The cinematography feels really well mapped out, each scene dotted with precise and deliberate shots to balance out who holds power in character exchanges. The editing plays a major part in the precise visual flow to this feature, a number of scenes move with great pace and timing for effect. The score for the film is a tone of intrigue and tense musical numbers, while the soundtrack consistently hits all the right notes and is served best by the original number, 'Bush' by Bugzy Malone.

Matthew McConaughey, who played Mickey Pearson, is one cool level-headed ringleader; McConaughey quietly works a scene so that you are ever aware of the power he holds without him ever losing his cool or blasting into significant outbursts. Charlie Hunnam, who played Raymond, is a very calculating loyal right hand to McConaughey; I was particularly impressed with the barbed back and forth Hunnam held with Grant throughout the feature. Colin Farrell, who played Coach, is really intriguing as the local legend boxer; Farrell leaps onto the scene and immediately steals the show with his street smarts and genuine morality not seen by many others in the cast. Hugh Grant, who played Fletcher, is playing a part that is unlike anything you've ever seen him do before; Grant is a nasty conniving character with a strong desire in his own self-interests and financial gain. Bugzy Malone, who played Ernie, brings out one of the most fun characters I've seen in a Ritchie mob film; watching Malone show off his hip hop talents as a young social media influencer trying (and failing) to find the straight and narrow was really great to watch.

However, the best performance came from Michelle Dockery, who played Rosalind. I really liked seeing a character at the head of the table who held a stronger game than some of the male mob bosses. Dockery has a cold, ruthless deposition to the handling and closing of business onscreen that makes her a real equal to McConaughey's Pearson. The pair have such great chemistry together that you see the relationship as one held in equal footing, both being aware of the power one another holds and respecting each other appropriately. I believed in their love story because it felt solid as a rock throughout, this pair was stronger together than apart. However, what sets Dockery apart continuously is the way she steps into a frame and immediately begins commanding the attention of a scene. Even in a tense life or death moment in which she's being threatened you can see that she's quietly wrestling control back with incredible aplomb. One of the best leading actresses in a mobster film for a while now.

The Gentlemen is a film I found myself immensely enjoying as it pressed on but the first act was by far the weakest aspect of the feature. Establishing Fletcher both as a skeevy unreliable narrator and a cinema aficionado early on was a necessity but it really took a moment to find its feet. The introduction to the main story felt a bit gratuitous and self-obsessed before it began hitting all the right notes. I also feel that some of Guy Ritchie's mobster films can get quite busy as the plot wears on because more characters and involved parties are constantly being introduced. It can feel like a chessboard juggling all those pieces as you watch and the important aspect of how everything connects isn't always as deftly explained as the film hopes it is.

Jeremy Strong, who played Matthew Berger, is rather underwhelming as the film's main antagonist; Strong lacks the ability to be intimidating or convincing as a master manipulator in his scenes. Henry Golding, who played Dry Eye, goes a bit far down the over the top route; his bold young upstart character has been done before and Golding never finds his own take on it. Eddie Marsan, who played Mike, is a role that feels all bluster and no bite; Marsan has had a slew of painstakingly bad or similar background roles of late and this is sadly another nail in that coffin.