The Gentlemen

Aside from a few very marketable films like "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" and "Aladdin", Guy Ritchie is a writer/director who makes incredibly violent films. That is, incredibly violent films which are also brilliantly constructed and near perfect. While I rarely ever watch violent films, I eagerly look for his next dark British crime film, after seeing his "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch"....and so it's not surprising I'd see "The Gentlemen". And, like these other films, it's near perfect...and a film you ought to see if you have the stomach for this sort of story.

So this leads me to a huge warning. This is NOT a family-friendly film nor one you want to show your mother or Father Jenkins if he stops by for a visit. There's ample cursing, loads of violence, vomit galore, and the story is about bad people...very bad people.

The story is complicated...and goes together like a finely crafted puzzle. It concerns a marijuana czar in Britain, Michael Pearson (Matthew McConaughey) and his desire to sell out and retire to a life of ease and sophistication. However, after making an offer to a rival drug kingpin, suddenly everything goes haywire....folks start dying, farms growing the stuff are hit and an all-out war seems inevitable. There's WAY more to the story than this...but since it's so complex, it's best you just see it to appreciate it.

The bottom line is that Guy Ritchie can write and direct amazing films...and this one is truly amazing and entertaining. Apart from his misguided vanity project, "Swept Away", his output has been impressive and I cannot stress enough what a quality product this film is. My only MINOR quibble is what about the Russian mobster.....what happens with him? This isn't really dealt with in the film and seems a bit like a dangling plot point.

It's Guy Ritchies Best since Snatch, it's where he is most playful and comfortable in a film genre he knows well. The Cast is perfectly picked, especially Hugh Grant giving a different but yet so funny performance. Sit back and enjoy 2 hours of a British crime drama, which doesn't take itself too serious If we hadn't had lock stock or snatch then this would possibly looked at in a more classic Ritchie film so don't expect it to be as great as those.

Matthew McConaughey, who has become one of the major players in the British weed trade through science, paying poor noblemen to let him stash his farms on their property, and a judicious amount of leg-breaking, thinks it's time to retire. He offers to sell his business to a fellow entrepreneur for £400,000,000, but other people in the illegal fun trade have their own agendas.

Guy Ritchie has returned to his early themes of violence, chaos, and rock&roll from his early career, and has scored a definite hit, with some fine performances, including a blank-faced one by Charlie Hunnam and an outsized comedy turn by Colin Farrell. Hugh Grant does well as the unwanted on-screen narrator of events, putting them into some order; I am impressed by his lack of a posh accent, event as I wished Ritchie had been able to think of a better way of telling the audience the story.

Even with that cavil, the unceasing action and insanity kept me more than interested throughout.

Fun film! I was greatly impressed with Hugh Grant's performance. Had to do a double take when he first appeared on the screen. Colin Farrell was a scene stealer and Michelle Dockery makes a great mob wife.

The writing, directing, acting and the general production are all top notch. I have not had this much fun watching a movie in a long time. This will go down as a cult classic, so do not miss it.