Review: The Gentlemen (2020)

1 Response to Review: The Gentlemen (2020)

1. Jack says:

   February 6, 2020 at 8:31 pm

   Is there anything better than a Cockney Gangster film for pure entertainment? Not for me anyway. I love these films.

   I know I’m going to love them going in and The Gentlemen, while probably the least of all the Guy Ritchie films, was still no exception. It’s a fun movie, it doesn’t try to be more than that and that’s why it’s so entertaining. With that said, there are elements in this movie that are very problematic, even more so as they are so unnecessary, so easily removed without impacting the narrative, it is quite bewildering that he kept them.

   But the ensemble he writes (Farrell and Grant and Dockery shine bright in this film – Give me a movie centered on Dockery’s character!). His voice, his rhythm, his use of that specific language lends itself so well to the right type of smart, quick actors and these actors really hit. Ritchie has that mixing of the upper and working class, which just seems so… British. There is a very specific humor to Guy Ritchie movies, they are tears down your face funny if you get that rhythm, and they get funnier on repeat viewings. I’ll go to my grave with the opinion that Brad Pitt’s performance as Mickey in Snatch is the best of his career. The only other filmmaker that has this poetry of the down market is Quentin. For me, there’s no small correlation that the two Directors that have best tapped into Brad Pitts comedic abilities are Ritchie and Tarantino; although I guess I’d be remiss if I didn’t throw in the Oceans movies too.

   Cockney Gangster genre films – god they’re so good! Lock, Stock (“…a little pain never hurt anybody”), Snatch (the best of his films for me), Rock n’ Rolla (the cigarette carton scene – such, such genius). And then there’s Layer Cake, maybe the best of the bunch. (I’m not saying I have written sonnets in my head on Siena Miller’s hand movements and eye contact while dancing as Daniel Craig watches, ignores Ben Wishaw, and is captured by her, but I’m also not saying I haven’t) and Sexy Beast (or maybe this is the best of the bunch, Ben Kingsley dominating Ray Winstone by force of pure will – c’mon!).

   They’re all so great that now I’m rambling.

   So glad you chose to review The Gentlemen.

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