“An American expat tries to sell off his highly profitable marijuana empire in London, triggering plots, schemes, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain out from under him.”-IMDB
This is the first review that I’ve actually struggled a bit to write and I’ll tell you why. You know those movies that you watch, have a perfectly fine time watching them, and then immediately forget? Yep, this is one of them. Let me clarify…
Let me start off by saying that Hugh Grant and Colin Ferrell were DELIGHTFUL to watch in this. If you have followed their careers at all, it has been so fun the last few years to see the trajectory they’ve taken and the projects they’ve chosen. And in this, you could tell they were both having a fun time in their roles. The acting overall was great, but those two performances were a joy to watch.
The problem I had with The Gentlemen is that it felt more like a sequel. After waiting so long for an OG Guy Ritchie movie to come along (not that Robin Hood nonsense, the good ole’ Lock, Stock… and Snatch stuff), it quickly felt a little lackluster, overwrought, and outdated. I mean, it definitely has some of the Ritchie movie trademarks that we all known and love: copious amounts of delicious swearing, London streetwear meets Tom Ford stellar style, and a soundtrack that pumps you up. But, there is also quite a bit of unnecessary (a) dirty, juvenile, and unfunny situation “comedy”; (b) racial slurs; and (c) violence against women that really didn’t seem to further the storyline at all and just felt thrown in there to pander to the most basic of bros. Also, more than HALF of the movie is spent setting up the premise. Although you understand why the set up is so long by the end, it really drags down the timing of the movie while you’re watching it. Finally, I will happily admit that I SUCK at guessing what is going to happen in a movie. Once in a while I can see something coming, but for the most part I get to sucked in to see anything coming. That was not my experience in this, nothing seemed surprising, despite the fact that you can tell some scenes we meant to shock.
So, overall, I think once The Gentlemen is streaming, have at it! I definitely wouldn’t be against watching it again at some point, probably during a lazy, mindless Sunday sleep-in day. But I promised you in my “About Me,” aka my campaign promise, that I was in this to try to save you some hard earned money when I can. Well, let me do my duty (and let me try to do it my best Ritchie-style): save your f***ing money, you stupid motherf***ing c***, wait to f***ing watch it on god**** Netflix.
Rating: 4 out of 10 Claire Bears
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If you like this movie, you should also see: Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch
With: Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong
Directed By: Guy Ritchie
Let Me Clarify 