Director: Guy Ritchie
Distributor: Belga Home Video
Duration: 113 minutes
The Gentlemen (DVD) – Movie Review
Crime movies are still quite in today, and we can imagine why. There are many young teenagers, or even adults, that can imagine themselves running an underground empire, with all the glitter and glamour that goes with it, but also the somewhat shady business that is the core of it all. This time, we take a look at The Gentlemen, a crime movie, with a fair amount of dark and gritty humor, that revolves around Michael Pearson’s marihuana emporium. A drug that doesn’t kill, or make people addicted, seemingly rakes in big money. Nonetheless, Michael has reached a point in his life where he wants to sit back and relax.
As confusing the plot may become, and how many layers may be added throughout the course of the movie, we get the story of Michael ‘Mickey’ Pearson’s (Matthew McConaughey) marihuana empire. We learn that he has to fight an uphill battle, but is now running a very lucrative business. He does however feel like it’s time to slow down and sell his empire. We learn most of this by the telling of Fletcher (Hugh Grant), a shady private-eye, who is trying to convince Mickey’s right-hand man, Ray (Charlie Hunnam) into convincing his boss to pay him royally. Fletcher claims to have vital information that may be rather important in the upcoming deal that transfers the ownership of Mickey’s many weed farms.
The flow of the movie seems quite slow at first, but when you get into the routine, you’ll notice that things are really well-crafted. While not exactly the same, the movie has a slight resemblance to the Ocean’s movies, which always involve a lot of schemes and plans that come to fruition in a certain succession. You’ll notice that many of the bits in the movie are actually flashbacks and narrated in a certain sense, and it works quite well for a movie such as this. The foundation is properly laid, and by the end, you’ll be hooked on what is coming next.
The Gentlemen has a very impressive cast of veteran actors. It has to be said that many of the current cast members may have lost a bit of their time in the limelight, which doesn’t mean they have gone rusty. You’ll have great performances handled by Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Grant, Charlie Hunnam, Jeremy Strong, Colin Farrell and Henry Golding. This combination of different actors makes the movie a true spectacle to behold when it comes to quality acting. We needed some time to get used to Hugh Grant’s somewhat shady and dirty role in this movie, but even so, he did a good job.
When buying the DVD version of The Gentlemen, you’ll notice it has very little special features. It has two short snippets that show you some terms in the life of a gentleman, as well as the life of a marihuana farmer. Other than that, there’s a gallery, some behind the scenes footage and trailers of other movies that are distributed by Belga Home Video.
Conclusion
The Gentlemen is a surprisingly well-crafted film that might start off a bit slow, but ends up captivating its viewers with its many interesting and elaborate ploys. The acting performances in this movie are top-notch and all handled by a cast of veterans, that may have lost a certain continuity in the limelight. If you’re into crime movies with a lot of twists and turns, and also love a bit of dark humor sprinkled in-between, we can easily recommend this title.
The Gentlemen (DVD) - Movie Review,
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