“The Gentlemen” is an English crime drama/comedy directed by Guy Ritchie with a cast of thousands that includes three actors that Americans would recognize; Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Pearson a drug kingpin, Colin Farrell as “The Coach” and Hugh Grant as Fletcher.
This movie has a plot that is as convoluted as one of those mazes they put on the back of kid’s menus at a fast-food restaurant. I won’t even attempt to provide a complete summary of the story line. Suffice it to say that the action revolves around Fletcher attempting to blackmail Mickey over a series of catastrophic setbacks in an upcoming sale of Mickey’s enormous drug operation to one of his rivals. The deal sets in motion a Rube Goldbergian chain reaction of thefts, murders, accidental deaths and just plain criminal idiocy that easily fills out the movie’s 113-minute run time.
If I wanted to compare it to a more well-known American film in the same genre I’d point to Pulp Fiction. I think the most entertaining aspect of the movie is Colin Farrell’s performance as “The Coach.” He’s a working-class Brit who trains street kids to be boxers. His dialect is close to impenetrable to American ears but he is genuinely a hoot during the relatively short amount of screen time he gets.
Alright, so is this movie any good? Yeah, it’s pretty good. It’s not great but it’s entertaining. It has a little bit of trouble trying to decide if it’s a crime film or a comedy so it ends up somewhere in the middle. And like Pulp Fiction, the whole thing is way over the top. It’s probably a little overly complicated and the ending is somewhat bizarre but I would give it a solid B rating. But I will say that British movies are a little bit of an acquired taste for some Americans. So, your milage may vary.