The Nice Guys [DVD]

Good

Really good movie

This is a review of the good quality 2016 Region B2 Blu-ray from Icon Home Entertainment.A ‘Neo-Noir action comedy’? A ‘crime comedy thriller’? A comic ‘Buddy Movie’? Yes, ‘The Nice Guys’ is all of these. Filmed during October 2014 in and around LA, and a number of additional locations in Atlanta, it was only released in May 2016. It came from an initial idea and draft script as long ago as 2001, by director Shane Black, and Anthony Bagarozzi. But no studios were interested. Black considered it for TV, and then Bagarozzi suggested moving the action from the 2000s to earlier ~ actually 1977.Their aim was to produce something ‘ironic and non-descriptive’. What has resulted is a strange but entertaining beast, with hints of classic ‘retro’ Neo-Noirs such as ‘Chinatown’(1974) and ‘LA Confidential’(1997), hints of ‘Buddy Movies’ such as ‘Men in Black’ (1997) and Shane Black’s own ‘Lethal Weapon’(1987), and even in the view of one newspaper reviewer, shades of ‘Boogie Nights’(1997).The basic premise is that an elderly lady employs LA Private Eye Holland March (Ryan Gosling) to find her niece, a porn star called Misty. Misty is thought to have died in a car crash, but her aunt saw her after the accident. March’s investigation leads him to a young associate of Misty, Amelia Kuttner. Kuttner pays thug Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) to frighten March off her trail. Cue unbelievable mayhem, trails of blood, bodies and broken glass all across LA.Gosling and Crowe, as the ill-matched and not especially estimable buddies, are very good. Gosling demonstrates good comic timing, and a certain goofy charm. Crowe plays the ‘straight-man heavy’ very ably. The teaming works reasonably well, though to my mind, it is lacks some of the natural chemistry and flow of say, Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in ‘Men in Black’. The two stars are assisted, and to a large degree outacted, by (then) 13 year-old Australian Angourie Rice, as March’s daughter Holly. She proves to be bright, sharp and dogged, and steals a number of the scenes.The comedy is quite slap-stick and decidedly ‘icky’ in parts. There are some superb physical gags and hilarious action scenes, which work really well. The location work and sets are very handsome and the music has an excellent period sound. The plot motors along at a good pace, and the very good supporting cast work hard. My husband commented that though clearly a lot of work had gone into the film, he thought it very slightly forced; I’d agree ~ perhaps a whiff of ‘manufactured’, just taking the edge off the final Star count.So, a funny, good-looking, entertaining and exciting romp, played with real panache, well worth an evening’s watch, but a good solid 4 Stars, not 5.

I have seen this film a few times and have enjoyed it each time. The whole cast are great and the combination of Crowe and Gosling is superb. They work off each other brilliantly and really do justice to an excellent script. Its a quirky period piece with style and humour. Would quite happily watch it again.

Fun from Start to Finish. Recommend.

This was the last film I saw at the cinema before my son was born, so maybe I'm a little biased. I thought it was very funny, the humour being both goofy and dark. I really enjoyed it.I should probably mention that my girlfriend didn't think it was that funny, but it has Ryan Gosling in, so she was happy enough.

Wonderfully irreverent..

real cabinet peace of great old style comedy; excellently written and performed