The Gentlemen Movie Review (2019)
A stylish and fast-paced gangster movie, The Gentleman sports tons of star power and a quirky story with lots of twists and turns.
Guy Ritchie is known for making quick moving, smart, and flashy films, no matter the genre or the script. Whether it be Sherlock Holmes, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, or King Arthur, there is always a modern and polished feel. And this film is all of those things to the hilt.
The Gentlemen is a contemporary gangster film about a network of people looking to get one over on the other. Mickey Pearson, a cannabis entrepreneur, has built a business worth approximately 400 million dollars, and is looking to sell and retire, now that cannabis is legal. He, an American living in England, attempts to sell it to another wealthy American looking to get into the game. At the same time, Dr Eye, who works for Chinese gangster Lord George, makes a bid for Mickey’s business. Soon, Mickey’s lab is raided by The Toddlers, whose Coach sees a YouTube video that they’ve made of their theft and instructs them to take it down. He approaches Mickey’s henchman, Raymond, and offers his service to pay off the “debt.” Also, private detective, Fletcher, is trying to collect money from Raymond to not sell the story and pictures of what he knows to the media.
There is very little depth to this movie, but it is a lot of fun. Think flashy accessories, flashy people, and flashy cars moving quickly through the streets and undercover hideaways. Some people speak quickly and others calmly observe while formulating their plan. There are smart drug lords and assistants, a few thugs who are less than intelligent, and it all comes together in a wild roller coaster of finesse.
There are stylized fight sequences, lots of humor, and a body in a freezer. Everything is played for fun, including the strange voice inflections of actors like Hugh Grant and Jeremy Strong. Everything is heightened and shiny and a really good time.
With a cast like Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell, and Hugh Grant, you are always being introduced to a face that you know, and not always from the beginning. In the first half, you frequently find yourself going, “Oh right! I totally forgot he’s in this movie,” and you are always using the pronoun “he,” because there is essentially only one woman.
A movie that grabs you right from the opening scene, The Gentlemen is an incredibly entertaining time where you are never quite sure what is real and you get the benefit of a full rap video if you stay for the credits. Light and bloody – it is a gangster movie, after all.
Runtime: 113 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Available: Free on PlutoTv, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
