Matthew McConaughey (pictured above) plays Mickey Pearson, a pot dealer, in The Gentleman. The plot follows Pearson as he attempts to leave the drug trade (Courtesy of wikimedia commons).
Director Guy Ritchie has an incredibly polarizing portfolio. For every Ritchie-directed subversive crime film like Snatch (2002), he helms a piece of derivative schlock like Aladdin (2019) or King Arthur (2017). Now, like an early unfurling of the new decade’s possibilities, Ritchie appears to be starting a new phase of unique filmmaking with his latest release, The Gentleman.
Broadly speaking, The Gentleman tells the story of suave American pot dealer Mickey Pearson—portrayed by Matthew McConaughey—as he attempts to sell his billion-dollar empire and retire into obscurity. Beneath the surface, however, Mickey’s attempts to exit his life of crime push a wide assortment of characters, such as rising drug lords, paparazzi-turned-wannabe screenwriters and amateur YouTube fight pranksters, to take advantage of Mickey and the void he leaves in the English drug trade.
No synopsis attempting to define The Gentleman’s plot can do it justice. Beneath the surface of a crime story we’ve seen countless times before, Ritchie’s new film enriches its runtime by throwing predictability out the window. The film introduces a cacophony of new characters and subplots at every turn, transforming what would be an average film into a high-energy roller coaster with fantastic results.
Much of the film relies on a frame story narrated by Mickey’s right hand man Ray—played by Charlie Hunnam—and film obsessed tabloid photographer Fletcher—played by Hugh Grant. These two characters discuss many of the film’s events after they occur, embellishing Mickey’s life in such a way that the audience can never be sure what truly happened, as opposed to how Fletcher and Ray describe the events.
The film’s story is told less like a straightforward narrative and more like a pitch meeting with two incredibly creative individuals making up a story as they go along. This is used to provide a rich mystery for the audience to chew on and always keeps the tone of the film moving at a brisk, effective pace.
One of the film’s highlights is Ritchie’s script—which he wrote in addition to directing and producing the film. Ritchie utilizes a mix of offensive and absurd humor along with well-played meta humor, constantly referencing its existence as a film in a similar way to David Fincher’s Fight Club. The dialogue is incredibly snappy, and fans of the film will be met with a plethora of quotable lines to remember.
The film’s strong dialogue is also helped by fantastic performances from the whole cast. McConaughey is incredibly entertaining to watch, balancing his role as an intimidating drug lord while also having great comedic timing that keeps the tone of the film consistently balanced.
Visually, the film looks excellent. The film is shot superbly and the way that dialogue-heavy scenes are edited give the film a unique and vibrant energy even when little action is shown on screen. While there are few moments of intense action, these were all effective and fun to watch.
The main flaw people may find in this film is how often the plot seems nonsensical. The film’s high energy, fast pace and large cast of characters can make it difficult to keep up with what’s going on. In a way, however, it appears that this is the exact kind of feeling Ritchie attempts to illicit, offering a fun, off-the-wall adventure that keeps the audience constantly guessing and always entertained.
The Gentleman is a wonderful return to form for Guy Ritchie. The film oozes with enough energy, style and humor to give it a unique identity among crime films despite a somewhat confusing plot. Rather than present a convoluted story, Ritchie created a rabbit hole of a film that certainly warrants a re-watch.