Pros: Incredibly colorful characters; excellent casting; masterful game with non-linear editing; typical Guy Ritchie fencing dialogues with a double bottom; elements of dark humor and slapstick comedy Cons: At the beginning the film seems too leisurely; some element of theatricality The Gentlemen / “Gentlemen”
Genre crime comedy
Directed by Guy Ritchie
Cast: Charlie Hunnam (Raymond), Matthew McConaughey (Mickey Pearson), Henry Golding (Inhuman), Michelle Dockery (Rosalind Pearson), Colin Farrell (Coach), Hugh Grant (Fletcher), Eddie Marsan (Big Dave), Jeremy Strong ( Matthew Berger), Jason Wong (Fook), Line Renee (Jackie), etc.
Miramax Studios, STXfilms
Year of release 2020
IMDb website
The same criminal world of Great Britain, only twenty years later. The former gopniks grew up and became very serious people: balanced, respectable, respectable. They make acquaintances in high society, donate money to charity and are very burdened by the blood left on their hands from the days of their stormy youth. But if something goes wrong, these middle-aged lions are ready to bare their fangs and show the presumptuous mongrels who is boss in the jungle… and if necessary, then get their sleek hands dirty again with a neat, expensive manicure.
If the good old Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch are films about the underworld, then The Gentlemen tells the story of criminals from high society, gangsters of the new generation: educated, intelligent, keeping up with the times. They use the most modern technologies on their hemp plantations, they value peace of mind and comfort, they have exchanged pistols and brass knuckles for financial documents and a checkbook. And so, when two such serious guys agree on the almost legal transfer of a now illegal, but in the very near future quite clean business from one hand to another, an event occurs that, like the first falling domino, leads to irreversible consequences, turning a quiet business a deal into a real bloodbath, with setups, counter-setups, machine gun fire and mountains of corpses. Classic Guy Ritchie.
The Gentlemen is a story within a story. The film begins as a speculative scenario that investigative journalist Fletcher (Hugh Grant) pitches to Raymond (Charlie Hunnam), consigliere, or rather extended-duty butler, to crime lord Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey). But Fletcher does not see the whole picture and does not know the whole truth, so you will have to return to the same events several more times to look at the story from a different angle, from the point of view of other characters. A masterful game of non-linear editing bears fruit; until the very last scene you cannot say with complete confidence which of the characters in this play will survive to the end, and who will ultimately outplay everyone else. As is the case with most of his films, the script for the film was written by Guy Ritchie himself, and this time he did not make a mistake.
Selecting the right actors and creating incredibly colorful screen images is Guy Ritchie’s specialty. And in The Gentlemen he seems to have outdone himself. This time there was no Brad Pitt and Jason Statham, but it turned out well too. The main role, and personally it seems to me that the main one in this whole story is the calm, balanced and devoted Raymond, is Charlie Hunnam, with whom Richie already worked in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Matthew McConaughey masterfully embodied on the screen the image of the respectable, but ready to explode at any moment, Mickey Pearson. Michelle Dockery (Rosalind Pearson) seems to continue playing the same Lady Mary Talbot from Downton Abbey, only this time a lady who has risen from the very bottom and has absolutely no desire to be there again, so is ready to fight fiercely for her position. Hugh Grant is damn good in the unusual role of the cunning and unscrupulous journalist-blackmailer Fletcher. Eddie Marsan (Big Dave) is excellent as a disgruntled editor on the warpath. But, undoubtedly, the most colorful image went to Colin Farrell. His Coach is the actor’s best work since In Bruges (2008) and, perhaps, one of the most striking characters in Guy Ritchie’s entire filmography.
The Gentlemen is a classic early Guy Ritchie film. Yes, it is much more politically correct, much better in terms of technology. He is sometimes even too neat in terms of scenography, which is why some episodes seem too theatrical. He makes fun of modern trends and memes, but does not forget about his roots. This is a black farce comedy disguised as a crime drama. Brutal, funny, intriguing. The Gentlemen is literally a breeze to watch, and after finishing the film you want to go back and rewind some scenes and dialogues again. Well, let’s wait for the digital version to come out and definitely do that.
This week several excellent films were released, which are worth watching exclusively in cinemas and on the big screen. The Gentlemen is one of them. This is 100% Guy Ritchie, a little more respectable than usual, but no less dashing. Be sure to watch this movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Dt_1iVju4
Conclusion:
Guy Ritchie’s triumphant return to the crime comedy genre. It’s not a shame to put The Gentlemen on a par with the director’s early films
