Director: Shane Black.
Starring: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Margaret Qualley, Keith David, Kim Basinger.
Shane Black has been a name in Hollywood I have always taking great pleasure of seeing in the credits. Creating characters such as Riggs and Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout. This man invented the buddy cop movie and unlikely friendships with The Nice Guys being yet, another fine example.
If there's one thing Shane Black is great at creating, it's those interesting alliances that are formed from equally interesting and awkwardly different characters each presenting counter ideals or attitudes. It's watching an almost mutual hatred for one other slowly turning into trust and tolerance.
Gosling's P.I. Holland March seems to be very much influenced by Jimmy Rockford from the Rockford Files by taking cold cases, avoiding conflicts and charges the same fee of $200 per day. Not shy to drinking and seems to marauder around with a careless yet cowardly way of life.
Now Crowe's Jackson Healy is of the heavy handed, brass-knuckle kinda guy, who's not afraid of conflict and isn't shy of hurting people. However, he bares a moral code and there's something quite honourable about the guy. Wanting to do the good thing but capable of doing the other, he has a sense of heroism.
Basically the two of them are the good bad guys, or the bad good guys depending on which way you look at it. It's creates a great relationship for comical situations where the duo somehow compliment each other. It's not a case brains and brawn, but more so stupid blind luck and haphazard accidents with some clever scripting.
Who does accompanying the cast and inappropriately so is Angourie Rice's character Holly March. Holland's inquisitive and and actual helpful daughter. She pretty much saves the day.
Set in the seventies it has a neon disco haze everywhere it goes and the cleverly shot in a yesterday's L.A. Which is still very much recognisable. There's a good soundtrack but a lack of it and it's fairly unnoticeable score is really quiet compared to his score for X-Men: Apocalypse.
The costumes are amazing representing the ear so well but in stereotypical style. Healy's shirt and sneakers with March's velvet suits and discolourful ties all adds to the comedy flare of the films.
It's shocking and borderline controversial with some great comedy. It's unpredictable but wouldn't say it's original. Different maybe but there's a strong fragrance of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in the air which isn't a bad thing as that film was brilliant and this film is a stand alone great.
It's funny and entertaining, doesn't lose pace and the chemistry between Gosling and Crowe is superb. However, as much as I did enjoy it, it wasn't as funny as some parts should have been and there isn't anything majorly outstanding, but having said that, I would welcome seeing the two investigate some more but maybe speed it up to be set in the eighties?
Running Time: 9
The Cast: 9
Performance: 9
Direction: 9
Story: 8
Script: 8
Creativity: 8
Soundtrack: 5
Job Description: 7
The Extra Bonus Point: 10, 5 for Gosling and 5 for Crowe, just can't seem to award one without the other.
82% 8/10
