THE GENTLEMEN. Ritchie Delivers What His Fans Love Him For

Guy Ritchie feels most at home with stories about the English underworld. He debuted with the excellent “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” (also discovering Jason Statham for the film world, now mainly associated with action movies) and cemented his position with the brilliant “Snatch.” Later, his work varied – sometimes better (“Sherlock Holmes”), sometimes worse (“King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”). He also had a stint with Disney (the live-action “Aladdin”). However, he kept being drawn back to the themes he started with and felt most comfortable in. In 2019, he returned to familiar territory and made “The Gentlemen.”

Initially, the story seems a bit disjointed and chaotic. We meet various characters, but it’s hard to keep track of who is who. Especially since, instead of a classic narrative, the plot is presented as a story by shady reporter Fletcher, played brilliantly by Hugh Grant in a role very different from those we’re used to seeing him in. Thankfully, the dialogues, or rather monologues delivered by Grant, compensate for the heavy start and help us get through it. Because as the film progresses, and once we know what to expect and the threads start to make sense, Ritchie delivers what his fans love him for. And he does it in a manner worthy of his first two titles.

There is no shortage of his characteristic narrative techniques here. We have colorful characters populating the shady streets and corners of England, juicy dialogues full of British curses (not just the most famous ones) spoken with island accents (several of them, in fact), and plenty of plot twists. In the finale, Ritchie steps on the gas and treats us to one twist after another. “The Gentlemen” is watched with interest and a smile on your face, even though it’s not particularly original. It’s nice to see confirmation that the British creator can still entertain the audience, as it’s not about freshness but a successful return to familiar themes.

The main cast deserves a separate paragraph. Besides the aforementioned Grant, the leads are: the elegant Matthew McConaughey as an American marijuana dealer wanting to sell his empire, around which the whole intrigue revolves, and his assistant and “wet work” specialist Charlie Hunnam. In a smaller but no less significant and definitely no less colorful role, Colin Farrell appears, made up in such a way that he is hard to recognize, and even harder to understand what he says. He somewhat resembles Brad Pitt’s character from “Snatch.” Additionally, we meet Chinese gangsters, a Jewish businessman, and a greedy media magnate. Their paths frequently cross, leading to brutal and humorous repercussions. The entire film is steeped in black humor, another of Ritchie’s trademarks.

Some viewers might experience a certain dissonance – none of the protagonists are good people; they are gangsters fighting for greater influence and trying to maximize their profits. Yet, they are (at least some of them) portrayed as likable guys with principles that are the most powerful currency in this dark world. Thus, you end up rooting for them. But this observation can be applied to most titles featuring characters navigating shades of grey.

The film received favorable reviews, and audiences responded well, so Guy Ritchie, in collaboration with Netflix, returned to this world a few years later, creating a series spin-off of “The Gentlemen.” But I’ll write about that another time. However, I recommend the original today, though I must clearly state that you need to get through the slightly too hectic beginning. It’s definitely worth it, as the later part is pure gold.

Written by Piotr Zymelka