Review: The Gentleman
Guy Ritchie is on a roll. A roll of disappointing projects that is. Starting with 2017s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and culminating in last year’s live-action remake of Aladdin, Ritchie seems to be going the way of the “all form and no function” trap that many directors with bigger budgets seem to fall into. The charm and unique style that Ritchie brought to his stories and characters in the early 2000s seem to have lost their sheen in recent years which seem to embody a deadly combination of racial and cultural insensitivity and flimsy plots.
Ritchie still attracts a brood of great actors, though. This particular film boasts the likes of Colin Ferrel, Matthew McConaughey, and Hugh Grant among others. The acting is what ultimately props this film up with Grant’s witty charm, McConaughey’s perpetually cool presence, and Ferrel’s quirkiness. Ritchie still knows how to show us a good time. By using Grant as a smarmy narrator, showcasing a well-earned talent for surprising his audience in a twist ending and his whiplash-inducing directing style, you’ll at least have a few chuckles and thrills, if only they weren’t masked by the constant eye rolls.