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THE NICE GUYS
The creative force behind Iron Man 3 and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is responsible for an entertaining, slam bang action comedy called The Nice Guys that features some offbeat casting and first rate attention to period detail, but suffers due to a screenplay with just a few too many plotholes.
It's Los Angeles in the 1970's and as our story begins we see a car crash through a house that contains a dead porn actress named Misty Mountains and then we are introduced to a pair of third rate private detectives who have both been hired to locate a woman named Amelia, who is missing and is connected to this dead actress somehow. Jackson Healy is an overweight and methodical detective who loves to bang suspects' heads on tables to get answers out of them. Holland March is a dim-witted detective who has no sense of smell and a 13 year old daughter named Holly who hates him. Eventually, these two detectives learn they are looking for the same person and decide to work together on a convoluted case that seems to be leading to the Department of Justice.
Shane Black is another "flash over substance" director who likes to keep the viewer dazzled with enough action that they will let those unexplained red herrings go and move at the same pace at which he moves the story. Just as he did with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Black has constructed a story that is so convoluted and leaves a lot unanswered but provides such entertaining characters and dazzling action sequences that the viewer is inclined to let the details slide. I did like the idea of giving one of our detectives a daughter who puts herself right in the middle of the action and, ironically, seems to have a lot more respect for Healy than she does for her own father and has a profound effect on both men before the credits fall.
Not since Boogie Nights, have I seen the 1970's so lovingly created onscreen with some exquisite details...I actually noticed a sign for a comedy club where one of the headliners was Elayne Boosler...when was the last time her name was dropped anywhere? Just like he did with Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, Black pulled a pair of great movie star turns from Russell Crowe, who has apparently given up on looking like a leading man and Ryan Gosling, who creates a delightfully human character who when he gets hurt actually screams like a woman. There's also a star-making turn by Angourie Rice as Gosling's daughter. It requires complete attention that doesn't really work, but for the most part, it's a pretty entertaining ride.
The creative force behind Iron Man 3 and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is responsible for an entertaining, slam bang action comedy called The Nice Guys that features some offbeat casting and first rate attention to period detail, but suffers due to a screenplay with just a few too many plotholes.
It's Los Angeles in the 1970's and as our story begins we see a car crash through a house that contains a dead porn actress named Misty Mountains and then we are introduced to a pair of third rate private detectives who have both been hired to locate a woman named Amelia, who is missing and is connected to this dead actress somehow. Jackson Healy is an overweight and methodical detective who loves to bang suspects' heads on tables to get answers out of them. Holland March is a dim-witted detective who has no sense of smell and a 13 year old daughter named Holly who hates him. Eventually, these two detectives learn they are looking for the same person and decide to work together on a convoluted case that seems to be leading to the Department of Justice.
Shane Black is another "flash over substance" director who likes to keep the viewer dazzled with enough action that they will let those unexplained red herrings go and move at the same pace at which he moves the story. Just as he did with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Black has constructed a story that is so convoluted and leaves a lot unanswered but provides such entertaining characters and dazzling action sequences that the viewer is inclined to let the details slide. I did like the idea of giving one of our detectives a daughter who puts herself right in the middle of the action and, ironically, seems to have a lot more respect for Healy than she does for her own father and has a profound effect on both men before the credits fall.
Not since Boogie Nights, have I seen the 1970's so lovingly created onscreen with some exquisite details...I actually noticed a sign for a comedy club where one of the headliners was Elayne Boosler...when was the last time her name was dropped anywhere? Just like he did with Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, Black pulled a pair of great movie star turns from Russell Crowe, who has apparently given up on looking like a leading man and Ryan Gosling, who creates a delightfully human character who when he gets hurt actually screams like a woman. There's also a star-making turn by Angourie Rice as Gosling's daughter. It requires complete attention that doesn't really work, but for the most part, it's a pretty entertaining ride.