The Gentlemen
After a decade of <PERSON> indulging in blockbuster film making (even if a couple of those films managed to incorporate some of his usual visual tics in them), a return to a smaller, ensemble driven, British crime genre film should be a welcome distraction. After all, his best films have come from that well, so it stands to reason that returning to it once more would have similar success. And you would be partially right in saying that. The Gentlemen shows that while there is still entertainment to be found in these Cockney-esque Crime Escapades, it also shows that the well is running pretty dry at this point.
American ex-pat <PERSON> (<PERSON>) has begun the process of selling his lucrative marijuana business in England to billionaire <PERSON> (<PERSON>) for $400 million dollars so he can retire and live with his wife <PERSON> (<PERSON>). This triggers a series of betrayals, intrigue and shady business dealings throughout the British underworld, mostly centered around a private detective named <PERSON> (<PERSON>). The Gentlemen shares a lot in common with many of the most well known of <PERSON> past films, namely the star studded cast, over the top action and labyrinthine plot. But just because it shares those elements with films of old doesn't mean that they work particularly well here. What does work well (for the most part) is the acting. <PERSON> in particular is effective as the crime boss <PERSON>, both conveying his (limited) caring side for his wife and the ruthless business man as well. <PERSON> isn't quite as good as the counter-point lead (his excessive cursing is certainly off putting), but he is largely effective. The ensemble, like with <PERSON>'s previous genre-films, is probably the main selling point of the film.
Unfortunately that ensemble can only carry the film so far, and they largely succeed in spite of <PERSON>'s efforts rather than because of them. 698
For all their action flair, Snatch and Two Smoking Barrels had a certain inherent charm to them that made them stand out a bit from the pack. That charm is clearly missing from this film. It's not even the fact that everyone in the film is a horrible person, or even the fact that <PERSON> appears determined to insult every single minority group in existence with his dialogue. It's just that the tone of the film is too mean-spirited, with <PERSON> going way too over the top with character actions and the afore mentioned dialogue. In previous films it was quaint, if not charming. In this film, <PERSON>'s characters are almost gleeful in their misanthropy. It also doesn't help that, for once, <PERSON> seems to have dialed back his trademark visual flair and action pastiche. It hinders the film's identity even more. Add this to a plot you need a road map to get through at times, and the end result is a film that's more often than not frustrating as opposed to fun.
When The Gentlemen works, it is a fairly good genre work that, while lesser, is still worthy of inclusion into <PERSON>'s ouvere of this type of film. When it doesn't work, however, The Gentlemen feels more like a more cynical version of his earlier work, with the charm and quality stripped away. I'd recommend it to fans of <PERSON>'s previous work, but not really much else. It's certainly the definition of a mixed bag. 698