Blu-ray Review: Russell Crowe & Ryan Gosling Impress In Shane Black’s THE NICE GUYS
Shane Black’s The Nice Guys is a witty slice of throwback 1970s-set noir that packs a hugely entertaining punch. Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling play Jackson Healey and Holland March, two down on their luck Los Angeles detectives tracking down a missing girl amidst a high-reaching conspiracy that’s woven into the LA porn industry.
Nobody does witty detective movies like Shane Black. From Lethal Weapon through to The Last Boy Scout and The Long Kiss Goodnight to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Black has an ear for hard-boiled dialogue. He can bang out scripts with zip and sizzle, creating worlds (and words) which are as funny as they are violent. The Nice Guys continues this line of well-formed buddy movie.
Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling show a remarkable aptitude for comedy, delivering Black’s trademark dialogue with skill and precision. Gosling impresses with his physical comedy and Crowe is great as the exasperated straight man – you could watch a whole franchise with these two and never get bored. The duo work the screen like a foul-mouthed and violent Laurel and Hardy. You can see why this was pitched as a TV show at one stage.
A wonderful slice of entertainment, The Nice Guys is Shane Black doing what he does best. The film riffs on his previous back catalogue, mixing in a 1970s groove to keep things feeling fresh. It’s a shame that Black’s film wasn’t a summer break-out hit, as you could watch three or four of these detective adventures and not get bored. Let’s hope someone is willing to open up the cheque book so that Black is able to continue cranking out films with his particular brand of hard boiled entertainment.
Special Features
It might have underperformed when it came out way back in 2016, but now, nearly a decade on and Second Sight Films gives The Nice Guys the release it truly deserves. Knights in Tarnished Armour offers a new interview with Shane Black, which looks at the genesis of the screenplay as well as Black’s love of film noir. There’s also a chilled commentary from Shane Black and co-writer Anthony Bagarozzi moderated by Priscilla Page.
This package also includes interviews with co-producer Ethan Erwin and director of photography Philippe Rousselot and an intriguing video essay on the buddy movie by Leigh Singer. This release of The Nice Guys also features Always Bet on Black and Making The Nice Guys: Worst. Detectives. Ever – two extras which were on the original DVD/Blu-ray release. Superb stuff.
