Synopsis: A British drug lord tries to sell off his highly profitable empire dyto anasty of Oklahoma billionaires.
Okay, so this is slightly misleading, as the drug lord (McConaughey) is actually an American transplant, but we’ll let it go.
Having established the premiere Bush (marijuana) industry in Britain, Mickey Pearson (McConaughey) is ready to sell it off to Matthew (Strong) and retire with his lovely wife, Rosalind (Dockery, who has her own hustle going on, in a questionable automotive business, lol).
But once word gets out Mickey wants out of the business, the sharks start to circle, and what should be a fairly straightforward (and well-conceived) business plan goes horribly wrong. Chaos inevitably ensues, as rival gangs and known/unknown competition appear to help, hinder or simply try to survive in the chaos of Mickey’s heretofore genteel world of drugs and violence.
That sound counterintuitive, but, here, under Guy Ritchie’s careful eye and with a stellar cast turning in dynamite performances, it all makes perfect sense.
The Gentlemen is 100% a Guy Ritchie film, in all the best ways. From his snappy, and often politically-incorrect, dialogue, to his unique characters, Ritchie builds another viable cinematic universe for us to immerse ourselves in.
What makes this film different for me, however, is the feeling I get that we’re watching Ritchie give us a meta film about Guy Ritchie films, and here’s why:
As a frame for this story, Ritchie employs Fletcher (Grant, in a really great performance), an intrepid private investigator hired by newspaper editor “Big Dave” (Marsan) to help him take down Mickey’s organization. To do this, Fletcher provides Mickey’s number 1 associate, Ray (Hunnam), with a running commentary on his draft screenplay titled “Bush,” which details the Mickey Pearson story from his days as a Rhodes Scholar to the Bush Master of Britain, through the attempted sale of his business, currently ongoing.
Fletcher does all this in an attempt to extort a huge payday from Mickey in order to keep the story from Big Dave, while still allowing Mickey to sell his business and retire in peace. Kind of a finder’s fee or insurance policy. Isn’t that nice of him?
In Fletcher, we see Ritchie’s stand-in, as he weaves the tale of business and deception, often embellishing, occasionally replaying scenes Ray calls him on as he listens. Ray, then, becomes our stand-in for as we watch this Ritchie-esque telling of classic gangster life.
Ray, as you might expect, being exceptionally loyal, cannot let this go idly by, and Fletcher finds himself in his own straights as the film nears its climax (well after Fletcher reveals his screenplay’s own climactic scene).
Ultimately, what makes The Gentlemen work is its self-awareness, as demonstrated by Fletcher, and performances by the rest of the cast that solidify the reality in which we find ourselves. Even Colin Farrell’s “Coach” had won me over by the end of the film, and I was a bit iffy on him whenhe was introduced.
I give The Gentlemen an 8/10. It’s a fun romp for adults, but please, don’t bring your kids.