By Josh Morris
The Nice Guys is a fantastic film. It’s a return to form for Shane Black whose Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) – a work I still applaud– put his talent for writing and directing on display, but whose Iron Man 3 (2013) took him down a less unique, more corporate-controlled path. “Guys” is a goofy-yet-thrilling slapstick mystery. Ryan Gosling is hilarious as Holland March, a private detective with a drinking problem and Russell Crowe is as thin as he is jolly as Jackson Healy, a private detective with a sobriety problem. By the will of cranky fate, these two self-serving buffoons are forced to work together to solve the mystery of a missing porn star in 1970s Los Angeles and in doing so stumble upon a conspiracy that has potential consequences on the national scale. Look, you’ll either go along with it from the start or you won’t, but those who do will come through the twists and turns to the film’s end delighted, with much assistance to that outcome by the young Angourie Rice whose endearing take on Healy’s headstrong daughter brings heart and soul to the picture. Having a woman (albeit, a young woman) play as much of role in solving the case as the “nice guys” themselves was refreshing to see. It was a bold choice, even today, and might upset The Donald.
Rarely do you come across a film that has such a well-balanced mix of comedy, action, suspense, mystery, heart and authenticity.
There’s still months of summer releases yet to come, but it’s doubtful there’ll be many surprising gems like this film. Rarely do you come across a film that has such a well-balanced mix of comedy, action, suspense, mystery, heart and authenticity.
But maybe I’m wrong and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turltes 2 will defy convention.