Whether he wants to be or not, writer-director Shane Black is a brand. His films are uniquely his and when his name is attached to a project, many — like this writer — will immediately place the film in the must-see department. That happened when we first heard of The Nice Guys, the story of two not-so-astute private eyes (Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling) living in Los Angeles in the 70s who are trying to crack a missing person’s case that quickly turns into a murder investigation that reaches to the highest levels of power.
Black, the man who wrote Lethal Weapon and wrote and directed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (and the best in the series, Iron Man 3), knows a few things about crafting buddy comedies that don’t feel quite like traditional comedies. They are thrillers that feature heaps of humor and loads of laugh-out-loud moments.
The Nice Guys is no different. In fact, we think it might be his best work to date. He and co-writer Anthony Bagarozzi have penned a joyous ode to not only the buddy comedy, but the city of Los Angeles as well. And that is something that is not easy to do, considering the time period we’re in is the smog-infested, crime riddled, porn is taking over world of The City of Angels.
Gosling is Holland March, a struggling widow who is raising his teenage daughter Holly (a terrific Angourie Rice). He is barely making a living as a detective for-hire when he is tapped to investigate the disappearance of a porn star by her distraught aunt. The thing is — the headlines have told us that she has been murdered. But, her aunt is sure she’s seen her alive and well. March’s investigation brings him into the crosshairs of Crowe’s thuggish Jackson Healy, who himself has been hired to send March a message — quit this case.
The two don’t necessarily have the greatest of introductions (as witnessed in The Nice Guys trailer), but they will find a way to work together as they soon realize that they are mere pawns in a conspiracy that implicates some folks who wield some serious political weight.
Besides Black and Bagarozzi’s whip-smart script, the huge selling point here is the explosive comedic chemistry between Gosling and Crowe. It shows that cinematic kinetics is such an elusive thing that can never be predicted, forced or created on a Hollywood sound stage with producers wishing for the best. Producer Joel Silver (who gave us Lethal Weapon and an army of other fabulous films) scored immensely with the casting of these two actors who are mostly known for their dramatic chops.
Sure, Crowe and Gosling bring serious muscle to the dramatic and action-oriented ends of things with The Nice Guys. But, it is their quieter moments and scenes of utter glee that truly shine. These two are as good as Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, and dare we say even more explosively joyous. They lift the material, which already is in the upper echelons of fabulous-ness. We hope that audiences turn out in droves to see this flick, just so we can have more of Crowe and Gosling working the 70s streets of Los Angeles in future The Nice Guys.
Also, we have to highlight Rice. The youngster shines in a role that often has her being the most “adult” of the three — her father, his new partner and her. She is as much a part of this team as Crowe and Gosling. Without her… the film would arguably be flatter.
Black once again shows his wizardry and supreme talent. It shows that the benefit he got from spending years as a screenwriter. His storytelling prowess is seriously on point. There are ebbs and flows, highs and lows and a timing scope throughout the entire film that is impeccably perfect. Audiences-at-large discovered Black’s brilliance with the blockbuster Iron Man 3 and now is his chance to show the world what so many of us have known for decades — his razor sharp sensibility will have many adding his name to that list of auteurs whose name alone gets them in the theater.
Grade: A