"The Nice Guys" - Review

The World's Worst Detectives

There have not been a huge amount of true "original films" this year outside of the independent film market. The only thing I could think of off the top of my head was The Witch, which was able to sneak out from that market and get some mainstream attention after it received good buzz from critics (and me). We have all been spoiled by actually great blockbuster franchise films and sequels that we kind of forgot the intense satisfaction that comes from seeing something completely new that hits the mark. This week, The Nice Guys is the latest original creation to hit the mark. It is a violent and dark comedic mystery that features two top-level performances by Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. Director Shane Black has brought us something truly stylish and witty and that should not be ignored.


The Nice Guys is the story of two "nice guys", naturally, living and working in 1977's Los Angeles. Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) works as an enforcer of sorts, despite his calm demeanor. You need to intimidate someone or just simply bring the pain to someone who may deserve it, he is your guy. Holland March (Ryan Gosling) works as an actual PI who does cheap and easy jobs for quick cash to support his tween daughter. Though not as tough as Healy and a bit on the high strung drunk side, he is intelligent and can get the job done. After a decidedly tense first meeting, the two team up when they realize that both their jobs involve a former porn star who appears to have committed suicide and another young girl who is on the run. The two decide to join forces to find out how everything is connected and, sure enough, uncover a larger conspiracy at play.

This movie is plain old fun. From the moment the show began, I was having a blast with the silly humor and the witty character banter. The mystery at the heart of the film also carried unexpected weight and some unexpected surprises and it pushed the plot forward in an entertaining and intriguing way. This is a near perfect balance of tones that director Shane Black handles effortlessly. It has been a little while since he made the criminally underrated Kiss Kiss Bang Bang but he jumped right back into that mode with The Nice Guys. This is an extremely intelligent script, despite it inhabiting a rather trashy world.

Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling have perfect chemistry together and they both show new sides to their performing talents that we have not necessarily seen before. This is a return to form for Russell Crowe, who hasn't done a terribly great movie in a while, and he is given a good deal of moments to own for himself, but it is Ryan Gosling that steals the show for me. Normally a stoic type with the career choices he has made before, this is a boisterous and silly performance with surprising depth that I am not used to from him. He is terrifically funny in this, nearly taking away the spotlight in every scene he is in. Thankfully, he knows how to work with Russell Crowe well and the two of them together make a great comedic pairing.

I love that this film is not afraid to take chances. Just when you think the movie is going to go down a more traditional route, something from left field will come in and shift the course in a new direction. This keeps the film exciting and bold and it is hard to guess where it might go next. It revels in the darkness of certain situations and the murkiness it embraces. This is not a world where people go through unscathed. There are consequences to every action and sometimes people get hurt. This is such a nice change of pace from the more PG-13 rated fare that has deluded the Hollywood pool. The problem I usually have with PG-13 films is that there is generally a lack of weight given to drastic events or decisions. There seems to be no consequences, because they lack the ability to explore such things. When someone gets shot, there is no sign that they are even hurt. It is hard to tell which punch swung is going to merely injure someone and which one is going to kill them. Many times, these films feel irresponsible by showing such actions but not showing the the situation and trouble that such actions can take. That is why it is so refreshing to see a film like The Nice Guys where you know what the stakes are. If someone is shot or hit by something, it shows and it reminds you that this is a serious situation. Early on in the film, and shown in the trailers, Ryan Gosling tries to do something as simple as breaking into the back entrance of a bar by breaking the glass. How many times have we seen this done with no back lash whatsoever? (I'm looking at you A Good Day to Die Hard. No way that no one got seriously hurt after being thrown through fifty million windows like those characters are.) However, just with a simple glass panel being broken, Ryan Gosling ends up slicing up his wrist and starts bleeding all over the place. Not only is this scene hilarious in the way that Gosling handles it, it reminds us that even in seemingly inconspicuous circumstances, there are stakes to every little decision and reaction. It is so refreshing.

I do not really have any problems with this film at all. The third act gets a bit more serious as they try to wrap up the mystery at the core of the film, but it still makes time for some silly dialogue and outlandish situations that keep things seriously entertaining. There are also some side roles, namely Kim Bassinger, that feel a bit more "mailed in", but they do not seriously hurt the film given how brief these appearances are. Gosling and Crowe, as well as Angourie Rice who plays an actually helpful and intelligent child character, carry this movie with their charm and chemistry so any small flaw is practically invisible. This is a terrifically original and entertaining film filled with great dialogue and a compelling and dangerous mystery that I cannot wait to watch again.

Grade: A.

The Nice Guys is now playing in theaters everywhere.

Like action comedies? Check out my reviews for Hardcore Henry and Keanu!