The Nice Guys Review

The Nice Guys

Nice guys finish last, or so they say.

They.

Call me crazy, but I’d have thought a guy who finishes last would be a winner in most girls eyes.

Mind you, The Nice Guys in Shane Black’s new film of the same name would be lucky to finish at all mind – and that’s not speculation on the tantric qualities of Ryan Gosling.

It’s the seventies, some American city that looks a lot like Los Angeles is swinging with all the sober colours and wide lapel suits of this age, and a porn star has just crashed her car into your family home.

First world problems, huh?

Holland March is a freewheeling private detective who spends his days getting loaded off two things: cheap liquor and little old ladies with more money than sense.

Sadly, he has good reason for living his life this way, as well as one pretty great reason not to.

Still, when a grieving aunt of said aforementioned porn star hires March to find out what happened to her niece, he’s only too happy to take her money.

Jackson Healy is the raging yin to March’s rarely sober yang, and hires himself out around town as muscle to anyone who can afford him.

And judging by his clientele, most of whom look like they’re still in school, his prices aren’t that steep.

Unfortunately for March, someone hasn’t taken too kindly to his latest private investigation, which means his path is about to cross all too violently with Healey’s.

Turns out there’s more to the seemingly random death of a porn star than meets the eye, and the only way to get to the bottom of this is for our two nice guys to team up.

And if that doesn’t work, March will just have to work on getting to the bottom of his bottle even quicker.

From the man behind Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang comes The Nice Guys – another buddy comedy with plenty of razor sharp dialogue to keep you entertained.

The nice guys in question are Russell Crowe, playing up to his macho image as a sweary alpha male who likes to twat folk in the face for fun, and Ryan Gosling, who provides the necessary beta male energy as a foil to his co-star’s violent tendencies.

Surprisingly, Crowe and Gosling have great chemistry together, with Russell playing it straight and Gosling stealing the show by playing for laughs.

Having Shane Black behind the directing wheel doesn’t hurt either, and the first hour crackles along as slapstick comedy meets film noir style in this entertaining cinematic mash up.

The last half hour fades away, as increasingly unbelievable plot twists and acts of cosmic convenience hurry us towards our Hollywood ending.

But riding with The Nice Guys is so much fun, you barely care how it finishes.

Said no girl ever.

Jonathan Campbell

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May 2016
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