Nostalgic Ritchie back in his comfort zone
It’s been 12 years since Guy Ritchie last turned his hand to the guns-andgangsters genre that made his name.
Following the mediocre Rocknrolla, 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.
Unlike Rambo, this was a worth-the-wait comeback to satisfy fans’curiosity of what their favourites have been up to for the past decade.
There were call-backs and an ending that left you wanting more.