Creative Differences Episode 197 | Fancast Friday – Robin Hood

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Movie Review: The Gentlemen

The Gentlemen, written and directed by Guy Ritchie.

I know this movie has been out for a while, but I’ve seen it three times now and I just gotta talk about it. When I saw the trailer, I thought, “That looks pretty interesting. Maybe I’ll check it out.” Now I’m sure it’ll be on my list of favorite movies of 2020. That’s quite a claim this early on, but it’s really dope.

Speaking of dope, this movie is about drugs. More specifically, an American drug kingpin in England and the events that follow him looking to sell his business. I’m honestly proud of how simply I put that, because this movie has A LOT of moving parts. The characters section is gonna be long, so be ready.

Did you get ready? It’s character time.

Michael Pearson: Michael is our American drug kingpin looking to retire in England. He’s smooth, calm, and distinguished, but has a ruthless side to him that adds an interesting layer to his character. He’s one of the most compelling characters I’ve seen in a while. Also, Matthew McConaughey as a gangster is something I didn’t know I needed, but now I need as much of that as possible. Dude kills it! He gives a monologue toward the end, that coupled with Christopher Benstead’s score, gives me chills.

Raymond: Raymond is Michael’s right hand man. He’s a stoic badass played perfectly by Charlie Hunnam, and is something of a straight man in most of his scenes.

Fletcher: Fletcher is the reason Raymond has to be a straight man. He’s the slimy, lecherous, scheming antithesis of every role I’ve seen Hugh Grant in before this. I didn’t even recognize him in the trailer. Hugh Grant is concerningly good in this role, though.

Dry Eye: Dry Eye is the slimy, hotheaded, scheming antithesis of every role I’ve seen Henry Golding in before this. I can’t stand Dry Eye, but kudos to Henry Golding for making me hate a character played by him, because I didn’t think I could.

Rosalind: The queen of Michael’s kingdom. She carries herself in such a way that she can hang with every criminal in the movie. I read that Kate Beckinsale was originally cast in this role, and while I’d LOVE that, Michelle Dockery kills it every time she’s on screen.

Coach: The best part of this movie, and if we never get a spinoff/prequel focused on the Coach, I’ll never be satisfied with cinema as a medium. That’s a bit dramatic, but it’s something I need. Colin Farrell is perfect in this role. He’s the funniest character, and relative to pretty much everyone else, he’s actually a pretty good dude (the pig scene not withstanding).

The Toddlers: An extension of Coach being the best part of this movie, the Toddlers have to be in that spinoff/prequel if we are blessed with such a film. They’re not actual toddlers, they’re a group of MMA practicing criminals who wear sweatsuits with ski masks and make music videos. Also, one of them is played by Bugzy Malone and he makes a song that SLAPS.

Matthew Berger: Another American criminal in England, but much more annoying.

This movie uses a frame narrative and some nonlinear storytelling, which is never my favorite, but it works pretty well here. I don’t have a lot of complaints, but one is that it takes a little bit of time to get going. I was close to losing my patience with Hugh Grant’s frame narrative when I first watched it. Of course, rewatching the movie with the knowledge of the narrative style pretty much washed away that issue for me. It also helps that the story is so compelling, and while there’s a lot to keep up with, it gathers momentum well.

The writing in this movie stands out for me, as there are countless lines of dialogue that I haven’t been able to stop quoting. Most of them are funny, but McConaughey gets quite a few lines of badass glory as well. So, again, shout out Guy Ritchie.

I don’t know a whole lot of Guy Ritchie’s work (no I haven’t seen Snatch, but now I want to), but I keep hearing that this is Guy Ritchie at his most Guy Ritchie in a while. So consider me a Guy Ritchie fan, because at this point I haven’t seen a movie of his that I’ve disliked. This is definitely my favorite of his movies.

This is a case of me really liking a movie, and then growing to love it the more I thought about it and kept watching. At this point I’ve seen it three times, and I would not hesitate to go see it again if someone asked. So there’s my take.

tl;dr: There are a lot of moving parts to keep up with, but great writing and a phenomenal cast make it all worth it.

Rating: 9 out of 10

 

Creative Differences Episode 28: Last Christmas, Emilia Clarke’s Eyebrows, Streaming Wars, and CGI Gravedigging

I’m not in this episode, but check it out anyway cause my friends are awesome!