The Gentlemen Review

Writer/director Guy Ritchie’s newest gangster comedy The Gentlemen perfectly exemplifies the familiar elements and style that has made Ritchie so notable within the genre. However, it does so in a way that feels aimless and futile. Uninteresting visuals, bizarre editing, and a messy script perpetually burden The Gentlemen, while it’s jarring narrative structure forces the film to be completely devoid of suspense. The hysterical shrewdness and sharpness that overflows in similar films from Ritchie like Snatch are nowhere to be found in his newest release. Instead, The Gentlemen is a forgettable misfire from a filmmaker who has proven that he can do better.

When the extraordinarily wealthy and opportunistic American foreigner Mickey Pearson decides that he wants to retire from the illegal yet exceedingly profitable marijuana empire that he built in London, many businesses and rival gangs try to win the bid for Pearson’s properties and power. But while some try and do it the honest way, others attempt to do the opposite, as Mickey’s desired exit from the game triggers various bribes and schemes that may do more bad than good.

The basis on how the film tells its story and jokes is immediately an issue. Ritchie tries to be skillful with his overly meta approach but fails to do so often. The Gentlemen insists on spelling everything out for its audience, with the foundation of its first two acts being crafted entirely out of uncreative exposition dumps and drab dialogue. The exhausting attempts to be clever with its overabundance of witless slang and weak analogies offer nothing worthwhile, creating comedic aspects that feel forced and pointlessly vulgar for no substantial reason.

The Gentlemen happens to find moments of obvious amusement throughout, but it's almost aimless middle section is poorly bolstered by editing that is equally as disengaging. Though the collection of characters are one-dimensional and somewhat dry, some of the cast can achieve effective range with Ritchie's mostly disappointing material. Colin Farrell and Hugh Grant generate most of the valuable parts of the film, while Matthew McConaughey and Charlie Hunnam choose to phone in their performances for something empty and sparse in commitment.

Overall, those who enjoy Ritchie's signature style will get their fill with The Gentlemen but may still be disappointed in the lack of effort that's given throughout. The proficient directing from Ritchie is far better than his script, as the film's extremely questionable structure tends to curse more than compliment. Even during its more focused and well-executed final at, The Gentlemen often falls victim to its unnecessarily meta humour and brutal self-awareness, becoming tiresome even when it manages to find its pacing. The result is a competently made film that succumbs to its vapid format and varying performances, and a script from Ritchie that feels more like a lazy emulation of himself than a triumphant return to form.

Uninteresting characters and terribly lazy scenes of exposition keeps The Gentlemen from becoming a desired part of Guy Ritchie's gangster comedy filmography.

Produced By: STXfilms
Runtime: 103 minutes
Rating: R