Shaun’s review published on Letterboxd:
The Nice Guys (2016), written and directed by Shane Black, and starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe is a 70’s set Hollywood satire. A Private investigator named Holland (Gosling), investigates the disappearance of a porn actress that starts of as a by the numbers case but soon turns into a great clusterf*ck of a situation. Holland teams up with a muscle man named Jackson (Crowe), and together go on a crazy trip across La la land.
First and foremost, Black is a writer. He stamps his mark on each feature he works on with provocative, witty, observational humour. Like every other film he has made (apart from The Predator) I had a lot of fun.
Shane Black wrote Last Action Hero and elements of that film (masterpiece imo) are evident here. Both deconstruct the thin line between fantasy and reality, and the contrast between day to day life and showbiz. Film references can be spotted in the form of old movie posters in the background, and a cameo by Basinger who I think deserves the title of “Icon” after modern classics such as LA Confidential and Tim Burton’s Batman.
Despite a witty, funny script, that often works, the jokes don’t always land, and I cannot help but feel the critics have all too readily jumped on the band wagon with this one. In some ways, I feel it actually plays it safe. Even compared to Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, the characters, as good as they are, feel a little two-dimensional. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it, it’s a lot of fun, but does it offer anything new? Not really.
As mentioned before, Black recently directed The Predator, an absolute piece of shit movie that I hope he bounces back from.
The Nice Guys is a sweet, and funny movie. Even if it is a little shallow, It features commited performances by everyone involved, and is harmless fun that is hard not to enjoy.
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