The Nice Guys - Film Review

Shane Black. Buddy Comedy. Ryan Gosling. If you’re not already sold, don’t even talk to me.

Mr. Black has been one of Hollywood’s most distinct voices ever since he broke into the industry with his infamous Lethal Weapon screenplay in the mid-eighties. His directorial debut, 2005’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, is one of the best action-comedies of the past 20 years and features spectacular turns from Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. Hell, I even love Iron Man 3, which earned the ire of fanboys worldwide by subverting expectations and tropes with a refreshingly manic take on the superhero genre.

The Nice Guys is essentially Black’s victory lap. It treads familiar territory for the filmmaker, and if you’re expecting something revolutionary, you’ll be walking away empty-handed. But take it for what it is - a spectacular caper overflowing with zippy dialogue, a healthy dose of action and the inspired pairing of Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe - and you’ll be more than satisfied.

Gosling is Holland March, a private investigator doing his best to raise a daughter on his own. He gets caught up in a case that involves tracking down a girl named Amelia and encounters Jackson Healy (Crowe), a violent, soft-spoken enforcer who was hired by Amelia to get March off her back. When Amelia mysteriously disappears, the two strike up a shaky alliance to figure out just what the hell is going on and end up uncovering a fiendish plot far more complicated than they ever expected.

This is exactly the kind of storytelling Black excels at: two individuals with opposing personalities and methodologies forced to work together for the greater good. It’s a winning formula (one which Black pretty much pioneered) and the film’s charms are plentiful. The late-1970s setting is perfect. The script, co-written by Black and Anthony Bagarozzi, is fast-paced, breezy and full of memorable one-liners.

But while Black’s writing and direction play a key part in The Nice Guys’ success - this has some of the best-staged action sequences I've seen this year - the plotting plays second fiddle to its main characters' relationship, and it’s the chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe that really makes this one shine. These guys make for one of the great on-screen duos of the year, probably the past decade. Their line deliveries and mannerisms consistently had me doubled over in my seat from laughter. Any shortcomings regarding the familiarity of plot were easily forgiven in light of their performances.

The Nice Guys excels in nearly every way and is absolutely one of my favorite films of 2016 thus far. I sincerely hope it manages to find its audience in the midst of the summer blockbuster onslaught, so Black can keep making movies like it. If you’re a fan of his work, or just a fan of action-comedies in general, you’ll exit the theater with a huge smile on your face, hoping against hope we’ll get to see these characters again in the not-too-distant future.

FINAL RATING: 4/5