The Nice Guys Review

     Back in the 80s and part of the 90s, the buddy-cop style movie was all the rage. Series like "Bad Boys" and "Lethal Weapon" became huge box office draws and entertained movie goers all around the world. But in recent years that specific genre of film has become less and less popular. Off the top of my head the only two of those types of movies I can think of that came out recently were "Ride Along" (and its sequel) and "Let's be Cops" (none of which were good). It's hard to say why genres of movies gain and lose popularity over time, but most chock it up to the changing of tastes. And now in comes Shane Black. Black is most well known for directing the blockbuster hit "Iron Man 3," and the cult classic "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang." Apparently a few years back Black started to write a buddy-cop style script, but once finished had some trouble getting it made. After being passed around for a while it finally got green lit and started pre-production, and it was later announced that it would star Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in the lead roles. One of my most anticipated movies of the year; we finally get a look at "The Nice Guys." So now the question remains, can Shane Black save a genre that seems to be on its way out?

     Set in the 70s, "The Nice Guys" follows the story of two unlikely heroes; Jackson Healy, an enforcer who gets paid to beat people up, and Holland March, a private detective trying to work while making time for his daughter. When March picks up a case revolving around a dead porn star, he ends up trying to track down a young woman named Amelia; but when Amelia learns that she's being followed, she hires Healy to beat March up. After Healy does his thing, he heads back to his apartment where he's jumped by two goons looking for Amelia. He manages to escape and meats up with March to figure out what's going on. While reluctant, March agrees after Healy pays him a few hundred dollars. So the two set out to discover what's going on, little did they know this mystery was bigger than they could have imagined.

     In all honesty I have never seen Shane Black's first film "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," I've only seen his second movie "Iron Man 3." So based off his previous movies, I wouldn't exactly call him a top notch director. But I must give credit where credit is due; "The Nice Guys" is fantastic. Black did an amazing job with this movie, and removed the bad taste left in my mouth from "Iron Man 3." He also co-wrote the movie, and as of right now it might be the best original screenplay we've seen this year. The plot acts as an interesting mystery, and is filled with more than a few funny bits that had me laughing until my sides hurt. The movie also does a great job using its 1970s backdrop to its advantage; the way the movie was designed and made makes it feel remarkably old school and actually reminds me of some of the movies from that era. What I feel most people will walk away with from this movie would have to be the performances. Every actor in "The Nice Guys" does a great job, and the two leads, Ryan Gosling and Russell Crow, have fantastic chemistry together and did a great job playing off each other. I also have to give credit to Angourie Rice, who played Gosling's daughter Holly. She gave a really good performance, especially for a kid, and had some of the best bits in the movie. I also have to touch on the action scenes, which to be honest caught me by surprise. There are a few shootouts and fist fights in this movie that are surprisingly well done and intense. They reminded me of the "Lethal Weapon" action scenes, and they are pure entertainment, my only real problem with this movie would have to be that at times the plot can get a little confusing. Every now and again the plot jumps around, and since so much happens it can be a little hard to follow. But if I had to guess I'd say that I probably wouldn't have these issues upon other viewings. "The Nice Guys" was a pleasant surprise; I hoped it would be good but was unsure what the final product would be like. But to my own surprise it turned out to be one of my favorite movies of the year so far, as well as one of the best. 

Pros: Great performances from the whole cast, fantastic chemistry from the leads, well written screenplay, very funny, interesting mystery, well done action scenes, great direction from Shane Black, good use of 70s backdrop, feels old school. 

Cons: Plot can be hard to follow at times.

4.5/5 Stars