The Gentlemen movie review

MOVIE TITLE: THE GENTLEMEN

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour, 53 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B-

IN A NUTSHELL:

Writer/director Guy Ritchie has developed his own recognizable style, which is fun and cool, but this newest installment of his unique perspective and crime art is not up to par with his past films. In fact, towards the end of this dramedy, Hugh Grant’s character stands in front of the movie poster for The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Guy Ritchie’s best movie, in my opinion, mostly because it appealed to a larger audience.

I love all of the actors in the film, so I was disappointed that the movie was such a convoluted mess. The trailer was more entertaining than the entire film. It just wasn’t my cup of British tea. The movie poster states “Criminal. Class.” I would change it to “Criminal. Crass.” Spending time in this underbelly of London’s crime will make you feel grungy and want to take a shower to wash off the grime.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Profanity, British profanity, tons of crude comments, and a zillion F-bombs and C-words. A zillion filthy on-liner insults.
All of the characters are criminals involved in drugs.
Lots of violence
A woman grabs a man’s crotch.
It’s definitely not politically correct.
Disgusting vomit scene.
A rape attempt
Murder with lots of blood splatters
You see lots of dead bodies.

THEMES:

Class divide
Crime
Friendship

THINGS I LIKED:

The opening credits are cool and stylistic and you can’t wait to see what’s going to happen.
Hugh Grant has become quite the character actor lately. Long gone are the days when we all put him in the charming British romantic lead. He has so much more to offer and his over-the-top performance is entertaining.
I love little nuggets of movie trivia. For example, one of the characters goes to a pub and you see a “Gritchie Brewery” van parked outside, a business Guy Ritchie actually owns.
Colin Farrell is hilarious and awesome. He steals all of the scenes he’s in and is a real crowd pleaser.
Quick-witted dialogue.
Fans of Downton Abbey will get a kick of Michelle Dockery’s accent. Then again, people who generally love Downton Abbey probably won’t be watching this kind of movie.
Henry Golding is believable as a romantic leading man, and it was interesting to try his hand at a role as a gangster.
Some creative camera shots.
There is an interesting comparison between cocaine, “the destroyer of worlds” as Matthew McConaughey’s character describes it, and the “harmless” marijuana he grows and sells.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Sooo much exposition in Act 1. The first entire 25 minutes of the movie are spent telling us what’s going on with backstories. I was bored within minutes. I thought that would be the end of it, but it goes on for the entire movie. Yawn.
I’m a sucker for twists, but there are so many plots in this movie that they get tangled.
Some viewers may find it difficult to understand the various British accents.
There’s a rap song scene that seems totally random and out of place, like Guy Ritchie is pandering to a younger demographic to get them to like his films.
Those punk kids drove me nuts.
Machismo on steroids.
The time line jumps back and forth, which might confuse some viewers.

FUNNY LINES:

* “So, you killed someone?” – Rosalind (Michelle Dockery)

“No, it was the gratitude that killed him.” – Raymond (Charlie Hunnam)