The Nice Guys

Starring: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Margaret Qualley, Kim Basinger, Keith David, Matt Bomer

Directed by: Shane Black

Written by: Shane Black and Anthony Bagarozzi

Reviewed by: Joshua Ochoa

[rating: 4/5]

Shane Black is pro when it comes to the buddy cop and detective genre. He wrote Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout, The Long Kiss Goodnight and directed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3. This time he’s taken the ‘buddy’ formula and set it in 1977 with a private eye (Gosling) and an enforcer (Crowe) who team to find a missing girl after some unlikely circumstances bring them together . Crowe’s Jackson Healy is no nonsense and cool under pressure while Gosling’s Holland March is an alcoholic and rather clumsy. They’re joined by March’s young daughter Holly (Australian actress Angourie Rice) who basically has to parent them to keep the pair alive and help them solve their case.

I went into this film with a lot of expectation. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is one of my favourite detective movies; blending comedy and noir wonderfully. So there was a lot of pressure going in to see Black’s latest. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to that hype but in the end it’s still pretty great. The Nice Guys captures the 70’s aesthetic  perfectly. Great costuming, production design and the music and cinematography gets the 70’s style just right.

The cast works wonderfully together. Crowe’s and Gosling’s chemistry is top-notch, as is Gosling’s and Rice’s. Ms Rice might just be the break out star of the film as she manages to hold her own with the veterans. It’s definitely a heightened reality with a lot of the comedic elements but the film also manages to make to take the situations seriously and you feel the suspense, struggle and loss. Black is a great writer and both his and co-writer Anthony Bagarozzi’s work is smart witty and subversive. When it’s funny, it’s really funny and when it’s exciting it’s really exciting. But, it’s not a perfect film.

There are some pacing issues. There are many moments when the film will go out of its way to tell a joke rather than follow what’s best for the story. Quite a few of the jokes miss as the audience is still laughing at a joke that came before. The film could be a little bit shorter as there is some indulgent camera work and editing that could have been fine tuned. But that doesn’t stop this film from being enjoyable and different from the types of films that have been in cinemas lately (you know the ones with the people in tights). The Nice Guys is an adult affair, filled with swearing and sleaze but also brains and heart. It’s cool, goofy and subversive all at the same and revitalises a genre that has been forgotten lately.