The Gentlemen
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Written by: Guy Ritchie, Ivan Atkinson, Marn Davies
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Release Date: 1 January 2020 (United Kingdom)
Available on: Amazon Prime Video

I recently watched The Gentlemen on Amazon Prime with my father, who, for once, managed to pick something worth watching. Guy Ritchie is back in his element with this film, bringing us an intricate crime thriller that is not only tightly plotted but also refreshingly unfiltered in a way that most modern films wouldn’t dare to be. It’s sharp and it’s stylish, and—best of all—it doesn’t care one bit about stepping on the toes of modern sensibilities.

The story revolves around Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), an American expat who has built a sophisticated and highly profitable marijuana empire in the UK. Now a wealthy and well-connected man, Mickey is looking to sell off his business to retire with his wife, Rosalind (Michelle Dockery). However, as soon as word gets out that the kingpin is looking for a way out, a parade of opportunists and gangsters start circling, each with his own plans to take a piece of the empire.

Enter Fletcher (Hugh Grant), a sleazy private investigator who has uncovered enough dirt to blackmail Mickey’s right-hand man, Ray (Charlie Hunnam). The film is largely told from Fletcher’s point of view as he lays out the various intrigues and double-crosses that are unfolding around Mickey’s business. The structure is classic Ritchie—fast-paced, full of cutaways and non-linear storytelling, all done with his signature mix of wit and violence.

The film is everything you’d expect from Ritchie at his best, but what sets it apart is its fearless approach to social and racial satire. Right from the start, The Gentlemen dives into territory that modern mainstream films wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. It pokes fun at the intersection of crime and multiculturalism in Britain, particularly the uneasy relationship between the old-school gangsters and the newer, more ambitious players from immigrant communities.

Henry Golding plays Dry Eye, a flashy and ambitious Chinese gangster trying to muscle in on Mickey’s business. The way his character is written and the way the film portrays his interactions with the British underworld is something you’d never see in an “establishment-approved” film. The same goes for Colin Farrell’s Coach, a tough but honourable Irishman who runs a group of rough kids called The Toddlers—low-level criminals who use their fighting skills to create viral videos. They are exactly the sort of group the media loves to either demonise or glorify, but here, they’re just criminals with their own moral code.

And then there’s Hugh Grant. I can’t remember the last time he was any good—let alone funny. Gone is the bumbling English gent from those dreary rom-coms. Here, he’s an oily, morally bankrupt journalist who spends the film gleefully trying to squeeze money out of powerful criminals. He plays the role with just the right balance of charm and sleaze, making Fletcher one of the most entertaining characters in the film.

But the real marvel of The Gentlemen is how it managed to get made at all. In an era when film makers are is terrified of offending anyone, Guy Ritchie has delivered a film that simply doesn’t care. It’s full of jokes and observations that would never survive the script-editing process at a major studio. It tackles issues of race, class, crime, and power without a shred of the usual hand-wringing. This really looks like the kind of film that can only be made in a free society, and I have no idea how Ritchie got away with so much of it. The dialogue alone would cause a meltdown at most film studios.

Visually, the film is slick and stylish, with just the right mix of grit and polish. The pacing is tight, and the script is full of quick, sharp dialogue that keeps things moving. The action scenes are well done, but they never overshadow the story or the characters. And unlike so many modern films, it actually trusts the audience to keep up rather than spoon-feeding them every plot point.

In the end, The Gentlemen is one of the most entertaining crime films of the last decade. It’s clever, it’s funny, and it’s unafraid to say what it wants to say. Guy Ritchie is back to doing what he does best, and the result is a film that feels like a breath of fresh air in an increasingly stale industry.