Film: The Gentlemen

GENRE: Action, Crime, Comedy

RATING: R for lots of violence, language and sexuality
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 53 minutes

STARRING: Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar, Wolf of Wall Street)

Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy); Hugh Grant (Love Actually)

DIRECTOR: Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Sherlock Holmes, Aladdin)

WRITER: Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch)

PLOT: A drug lord tries to sell his empire but there are complications.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: I enjoyed Guy Ritchie’s early work like Snatch.  

STORY STUFF: What an enjoyable film. Ritchie is back to his old self. The characters are quirky, menacing and full of wit. I will concede that there are number of common stereotypes though that seem a little dated. The story twists and turns with plenty of fun payoffs. I also found the story easier to follow than Snatch and Lock, Stock both in their accents and storylines. The language and the mob violence might not be for everyone but I had fun.

ACTING STUFF: Such a great cast. I’m not a huge McConaughey fan but he rocks this role as the drug lord wanting a change. He hits all the right notes. Grant is also highly entertaining. Half of it is his playful accent but he also is full of eccentricities. Colin Firth (In Bruges) and Jeremy Strong (Succession) also make some great character choices. I was not a fan of Michelle Dockery in Downton Abbey but I actually enjoyed her role as McConaughey’s wife. It was evident that every cast member was having a lot of fun in this film and gave it their all. How refreshing.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The film has the familiar Ritchie traits yet not as many as I thought there would be. Lots of playing with speed yet not too many quick jump cut sequences. I’m okay with Ritchie returning to his roots with this film.   

VERDICT: Four and a half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You enjoy clever lines, British accents and Ritchie’s style.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Oscar Predictions