This movie may be style over substance, but the style is fantastic.
This film has a complex and convoluted plot, but don't worry you don't have to follow it. The Gentlemen is never about the plot which is simply an excuse for Guy Ritchie to do whatever Guy Ritchie wants to do. One reason I enjoy most of Guy Ritchie's films is that I always get the feeling that he had tons of fun making them. There seems to be a childlike glee and fascination with all the things film can do. This gives his better movies a one of a kind energy that is just a pure joy to watch. This is certainly one of his better movies and this energy is a joy to watch. The gleeful playfulness here reminds me of the early François Truffaut and Jean Luc Godard films (though it may not be quite on par with those films). Also adding to the fun is the cast, who seem to be having just as much fun acting as Guy Ritchie has directing. This is especially true of Hugh Grant who often steals the show, relishing playing an outlandishly fun character. In fact most of the characters here are outlandish, over the top and simply a joy to watch. There is also some good humor here. Yes it is immature and childish, but it is often times quite funny. There are to be honest a few times when this movie loses a bit of its momentum and it could have benefited from a shorter runtime, but this made up for by so much of the movie being quite fun.
This is far from a perfect movie but I love seeing a filmmaker having fun making a film and that is what I see here.
-Michael J. Ruhland
No comments:
Post a Comment