The Nice Guys (2016)

The Nice Guys (2016)

7/10

Starring

Russel Crowe

Ryan Gosling

Directed by Shane Black

A lot of movies have been making the airwaves lately, but enough of them have been a waste of time. The Nice Guys, for me, is one of those movies that gets mixed up in the uproar of not-so-great films. It might slip by unnoticed, and not many people will get to see and appreciate the work done by the two leads or the rich dialogue the movie has to offer.

Buddy movies have long been overdone, with many coming out looking lame, but this one has a different style. It features two guys you naturally won’t like, and even as the movie progresses, your opinion of them doesn’t change much. But the dynamic they offer is what keeps you glued.
From the beginning, we see two very different guys running their businesses independently. One as a private investigator and the other as a hired hand (if you need anyone roughed up). Their paths cross when the PI (Ryan Gosling) is looking for a girl named Amelia, and Amelia hires the other guy, Jackson (Russell Crowe), to get the PI off her back.

After that happens (with Jackson breaking the PI’s arm), Jackson gets a visit from two hired guns sent to find out Amelia’s whereabouts. Jackson, unaware of where Amelia is, tells them nothing. When the men try to rough him up, he manages to get away.

Jackson then approaches the PI, this time to hire him to track down Amelia, and pays him upfront. Along for this fun ride is the best supporting cast the movie has to offer: Holly, the PI’s daughter. Her many captivating interactions and her innocence make her presence in the mix of these two misfits interesting. The writers involve her in everything from start to finish, with both guys trying hard to keep her out of trouble. But her stubbornness and inquisitive nature make it impossible for them to wrap up the case without her help.

This movie starts with the death of a porn star and grows into a political cover-up of some shady dealings by top officials, one of whom is Amelia’s mom.

Although the movie isn’t doing well at the box office, it’s still a good movie—one I saw late, just before its run ended in theaters. It is not often we see Russell Crowe in an amazing movie.

If you get the chance to see this movie, please do. It’s awesome.