[Movie Review] The Gentleman (2019)

Posted on January 25, 2020 by thegrandshuckett in Movie Reviews // 0 Comments

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Plot Summary: A British drug lord tries to sell off his highly profitable empire to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires.

Director: Guy Ritchie

Writer: Guy Ritchie

Runtime: 1 hour 53 mins

Main Cast:

Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Pearson
Charlie Hunnam as Ray
Michelle Dockery as Rosalind Pearson
Jeremy Strong as Matthew
Colin Farrell as Coach
Henry Golding as Dry Eye
Tom Wu as Lord George
Hugh Grant as Fletcher

Review by: Chris F

Guy Ritchie broke into Hollywood with the violent, clever, absurdist London gangster films and after doing that especially well he branched out to other genres....with mixed results. After returning back to that wheelhouse with the really enjoyable Rock N Rolla, he once again dips his toe into the thick accented and blood-filled scene with The Gentlemen.

Micky Pearson is the coolest, handsomest, smartest pot dealer in London and he wants to get out of the game with a huge payout. This being a Guy Ritchie joint, its obvious things are not going to go as planned. Rival dealers, sneaky billionaires, sleazy news reporters all seem to want to stop Micky from making his exit. But Mickey is a lot smarter than people think and a lot more ruthless too.

What I Liked:

The cast in this film was A-1. With McConaughey moving with heavy swagger and a mix of ferociousness, he plays Micky like most of the stereotypical head gangster archetype but he eats it up in his portrayal. Slow calculated speech patterns combined with moments of intense violence keep the audience on their toes throughout. Colin Farrell also steals the show playing one of my favorite crime characters in years. His Coach character spends the whole film trying his hardest not to be a gangster only to find out he is fantastic at it, his arc is one of the best ones in the film. The real game-changer here is Hugh Grant. I don’t know where this version of him has been, but I want more. He chews the scenery like its a buffet and just oozes sleaze whenever he speaks, moves, or even gestures. His dynamic with Charlie Hunnam’s character is a ton of fun.

The Gentlemen was also consistently funny throughout. Its always been a Ritchie feature to have great dialogue, and much of it comes through like a series of mental chess between the characters. The trope of “meaner gangster puts a weaker one in his place” happens a ton, but each scene is so inventive and sprinkled with laughs that I couldn’t wait to see the next one, despite knowing how things will eventually end. Much of this humor comes of minor characters that end up having a much bigger role in the many twists and turns of the story. Despite the movie having double-crosses on top of double-crosses, nothing feels too cliche or out of place, it all fits pretty well in the wild world established.

What I Didn’t Like:

As fun as the movie was, it is sometimes held back by a lack of a real threat to our main characters. Despite the stakes being clear and potentially life-changing, I never doubted that our heroes would prevail at the end. Though executed well, full of clever twists on the formula, there was never a time where I felt fear that Mickey may not make it. The villains couldn’t keep up with him on any level and he just steamrolled himself to victory for a majority of the film. It’s not a big deal but it removes much of the tension that the film expects you to fell in its few intense moments.

8/10

Summary

This movie feels like a throwback, for better and worse. Ritchie feels comfortable in this space and shows he is one of the better at it. The film moves at a great pace and is highly entertaining with great character actors having a blast with some well-written characters. Though lacking any sense of fear, this is a great fun time at the movies and if you are a fan of Snatch, Lock Stock, you will find a lot to like. Personally I want my Colin Farrell and the boys Coach spin-off movie or tv series ASAP. Get on that cowards.

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