The Nice Guys
(2016)Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe are an odd-couple forced to team up in 1970s Los Angeles in Shane Black's black crime comedy. The writer/director has described it as a spiritual sequel to his own Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Down-on-his-luck private eye Holland March (Gosling) and hired leg-breaker Jackson Healy (Crowe) work together to solve the case of a missing girl and the seemingly unrelated death of a porn star. During their investigation, they uncover a shocking conspiracy that reaches up to the highest circles of power.
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Directed by Shane Black
Starring Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Yaya DaCosta, Keith David
Written by Shane Black, Anthony Bagarozzi
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The Nice Guys
BY thorinoak superstar
Crowe and Gosling are the perfect odd couple cop paring in this hilariously engaging crime mystery. Had my friends and I thoroughly entertained from start to finish.
BY moviebuffed wannabe
Ok, this was fun, funny, and the actors gave some good body to it all. But man o man, it could have been 'Get Shorty' good if the script and story had cobbled together properly. Entertaining, on a bit by bit basis. Don't look past the scenes and you'll burn a few hours in an okay way. Think about it while you're in there and it will make you disappointed.
BY bk8 nobody
Can't believe this got 5 stars, was the reviewer on drugs?!!? It was lame from start to finish. It wasn't funny at all. Don't go see it. Waste of time and money.
BY Booper superstar
The Nice Guys was too long and not entertaining. Russell Crowe has become a John Goodman lookalike without the humour and Ryan Gosling who I love played a mind-numbingly boring character. Having Hollands daughter seemed a useless plot point and added nothing to the movie - she seems only to be there for the shock factor for her use of crass language. Forgettable and disappointing.
Showing 5 of 11 reviews. See all reviews
The Press Reviews
90%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Ryan Gosling in a physical action-comedy? Whoever thought of the idea should be crowned genius of the year. Full Review
An ultra-violent burlesque, the sort of cheerfully hostile buddy bash that’s been a staple since the ’80s, only this one is singularly clever about its own triviality... Full Review
[Black] creates some outrageously contrived and protracted shootouts and one or two good old fashioned action explosions. But he also keeps the dialogue cracking along. Full Review
Think of The Nice Guys as candy noir: all the key ingredients from mysteries such as Chinatown and The Long Goodbye poured into a tall glass, then topped up with sugar syrup... Full Review
Gosling and Crowe have a surprisingly fizzy, ferret-and-bull chemistry, and the hedonistic Me Decade setting is groovy... Full Review
There are even times when Black seems to be letting Crowe and Gosling make the whole thing up as they go along. Not a bad thing. Full Review
A blast. Full Review
They both have a keen feel for the throwaway line and Crowe's bearishness is a nice counterpoint to Gosling's doomed attempts to stay ahead of the game. Full Review
Though the plot here may be a confusing, multi-threaded mess ... it's occasionally offset by the exuberance with which Black blends splatter and slapstick, and the leeway he grants his two very game leads. Full Review
Even nostalgic nonsense requires more than attitude and energy, which is all that Mr. Black has to offer. And despite all its restless detective work... is unable to track down a soul or a reason for being. Full Review
BY Dominic Corry Flicks Writer
In a mainstream cinema landscape that often seems driven by concession – to the studio, the investors, the marketers, the distributors, certain demographics, the foreign market, the domestic market, the Stone Cutters – there are few things more satisfying than seeing a populist filmmaker getting to do exactly what he wants on a large canvas.... More
Shane Black's The Nice Guys makes concessions to nothing and nobody – it is about as pure an expression of the writer/director's sensibilities as you could ask for.
For the uninitiated in the room, that constitutes a witty, violent, spry action comedy that can be relied upon to feature quip-spouting tough guys, uniquely-rendered henchmen and scenes featuring someone falling off a building and a car driving through a house.
As crummy private eye Holland March and a scuzzy enforcer Jackson Healy, Gosling and Crowe demonstrate bountiful chemistry, especially when butting heads.
The film's sleazy portrayal of Los Angeles is enhanced by the late '70s period setting, which also makes it easier to picture Healy as a slightly older and calmer version of Bud White, Crowe's character from LA Confidential.
Black's affection for the hard boiled tough guy tradition comes through loud and clear in how he subverts the archetype here. His gift for casting extends to the tiniest supporting characters, whom Black has always shown an affection for highlighting, and does so repeatedly here. Keep an eye out for Jack Kilmer, the son of star Val.
There's a cynicism in The Nice Guys that never feels glib, but instead provides a welcome contrast to the... niceness... that currently permeates the action genre.Hide
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