Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Nostalgic Ritchie back in his comfort zone
It’s been 12 years since Guy Ritchie last turned his hand to the guns-and gangsters genre that made his name.
Following the mediocre Rock n Rolla, the 51- year- old has cracked Hollywood with two Sherlock Holmes capers, TV adaptation The Man from U. N. C. L. E. and Disney’s liveaction Aladdin reboot.
That success – and A- list collaborations – has allowed Ritchie to lure an impressive ensemble to The Gentlemen.
Matthew McConaughey stars as an ex-pat whose marijuana empire is threatened when word gets out that he is looking to cash out his business.
Ritchie is back on familiar territory with a London setting and quick-fire dialogue – scripted by the helmer and debut cowriters Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies – reminiscent of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch.
But The Gentlemen is a lot more glossy than its spiritual predecessors as Ritchie struggles to hide his elevated directorial status; thankfully, though, he weaves in his trademark visual flourishes following an Aladdin movie that had nothing quintessentially Guy Ritchie about it.
The story feels less like a coherent whole and more a series of cool encounters and a vehicle for several actors to let rip. It’s a film that relies heavily on its star power and for the most part the cast deliver the goods; Colin Farrell (Coach) and Hugh Grant ( Fletcher) are a riot and Charlie Hunnam ( Raymond) delivers one of his best big screen turns.
Unfortunately, McConaughey doesn’t crackle like you’d expect, Michelle Dockery ( Rosalind) fails to shine in her first big post-Downton Abbey role and Last Christmas’ Henry Golding (Dry Eye) is missing the fire his character demanded.
The Gentlemen is a fun watch and nostalgic trip back to the genesis of Ritchie’s career but won’t win him any new fans – and doesn’t boost the hit-and-miss nature of his CV.