Shane Black
The nice guys

Set in Los Angeles in 1977, The Nice Guys is the story of Holland March (Ryan Gosling), a private investigator, and Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe), a hired enforcer.

Their paths cross because the investigator is on the trail of Amelia Kutner (Margaret Qualley), and she knows it and pays the enforcer to get rid of him.

Amelia is the daughter of Judith Kutner (Kim Basinger), a big shot at the United States Department of Justice.

The mom is also on Amelia's trail.

Amelia has stirred up quite a mess…

An intriguing comedy-noir by Shane Black, the screenwriter of Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout, The Nice Guys is a film that entertains quite well.

Above all, for me, stands out a Russell Crowe who is fatter and heavier in the role of a professional enforcer... particularly violent against those who lay hands on underage girls… For his violent ways and resolve, he reminds me of the Russell Crowe from L.A. Confidential but here he is older, fatter, and with fewer hang-ups… Truly a great performance in my opinion. It reminded me of Bud Spencer to get the idea …and if you want (why not?) Ryan Gosling is Terence Hill. Yes, no one can take away from me the idea that Shane Black, in sketching out these two characters, was inspired by Bud Spencer and Terence Hill… only March is not as sharp and clear-headed as our Terence, in fact, he’s really a mess (the world's worst detective his thirteen-year-old daughter tells him). He drinks, gets beaten up, loses his gun…

The film is quite lively and Gosling also does well in the role of the unlucky investigator who never gives up and occasionally comes up with a brilliant move… He is the comic sidekick of the duo and considering he's not a comedian, I'd say he's passing too (but Crowe, for me, is in another league).

It's a fun film, at times irreverent but in my opinion, it sometimes falls into clichés. Everything seems thought out, meticulously planned, the tricks, the jokes… like saying look what I'm going to say now, huh? Look what happens now…

I don't know, maybe this is just my impression… anyway, the people in the theater had fun (the dumber the joke was, the harder they laughed but well anyway The Nice Guys is a pulp-blockbuster and cheeky, I have to roll with it).

Anyway, I recommend it, it flows well, and is appreciated in several moments.

They get THREE AND A HALF.