a) STORY
Is the story, idea, plot, dialogue authentic and believable?
The plot of The Gentlemen is very believable and could very well be a true story. Guy Ritchie gives his characters very authentically British dialogue that is sometimes even translated on the screen to help the audience understand. This film is easily the best written film of 2020 so far.
Is it original?
Although the film pays homage to many similar films and has a certain familiarity to it, the plot itself is quite original and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, this was one of the last movies I saw in a theatre and even after 2 months of being in theatres, the full auditorium was gasping throughout.
Did you care about the main characters, why?
The film has a very clever framing device that helps introduce all the characters to us, and the writing and acting help us connect to the characters, by the end of the film you are rooting for them to win and are reacting when some bad stuff happens to them.
Did the sub-plots work? Why?
Every single sub-plot in this film is important and comes back to the main one at the end. Again, the framing device here is genius and definitely helps connect the dots.
Why would you, or wouldn’t you, recommend it to a film class?
I feel as though this will be a film studied by film classes going forward. VVS films (the Canadian distributor) extended an invitation to our film class to attend a screening of this film because even they felt that this would be enjoyed by classes and has many lessons to be learnt.
Story Score: 97/100
b) ACTING
Were the actors believable, natural?
The cast Ritchie was able to assemble is impressive: Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant and more. Each of them made the character their own and delivered great line readings, however, the one weak link in this otherwise unbreakable chain is Jeremy Strong who was very wooden and had a jarring voice.
What was the best acted scene in the film, why?
There are many well-acted scenes in this film such as the deli scene with Colin Farrell, the final scene with McConaughey and Strong, any scene with Hugh Grant, but the best scene is a meeting that takes place between McConaughey’s Mickey Pearson and Golding’s Dry Eye. The tension in that scene was very high and with both the characters being very unpredictable, it kept you biting your nails as to what was going to happen next.
Who was the best actor? Why? Would you cast the actor? For what role?
As I said before everyone did great! McConaughey can play this role in his sleep and reminds us why he is an Oscar winner. Charlie Hunnam really impressed here and was able to flex his comedic muscle, I thought he was absolutely unbearable in King Arthur, also for Ritchie, but here he was full of charisma, I would cast Hunnam in another action-comedy, many fans want to see him as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow in the DCEU but as the DCEU gets more serious, it would be better for him to take a more comedic role, maybe a Marvel movie? Henry Golding was okay here, he wasn’t a very convincing villain, I think he should stick to rom-coms like Crazy Rich Asians and Last Christmas. Michelle Dockery was very very good here and transformed what could have been a typical wife role into something more bad-ass where she held her own, I could see her in a 007 movie as a female spy that Bond has to work with. Eddie Marsan’s role was so small that don’t really know what I would cast him in, he was in Deadpool 2 and was quite good as a very different character. Jeremy Strong didn’t register well in this film and I’ll be very surprised if he gets more work off of this. Colin Farrell was amazing here, Although I’m a big fan of him, Farrell is box office poison, but he is in the upcoming Artemis Fowl which was just shunted to Disney+. Last but certainly not least is Hugh Grant, who did a fabulous job here, this role shows the amount of range he has as an actor and he should get some more comedies off this amazingly funny and campy performance.
Acting Score: 89/100
c) TECHNICAL
How did the following elements influence the mood of the film:
Cinematography?
The cinematography added to the “British-ness” of the film. It’s filled with sleek and smooth pans and some very clever shots that help tell the story and keep the movie going.
Editing?
The framing device of the film, which I don’t want to give away, allows the film to be edited in a very cool way. The pacing is very good, it takes it’s time but is able to keep up the fun with some nice jolts of energy every now and again.
Audio/music?
The soundtrack in this film is great and both of the recurring songs, Cumberland Gap and Boxes of Bush, have been stuck in my head ever since I saw the movie for the first time. The older more classic songs help keep the posh tone of the film while the rapping helps keep the energy up and shows the modernization of this genre.
Lighting?
The lighting is used expertly in this film helping convey story points and reveal surprises.
Colours?
The color in the film is beautiful, most of the shots are very grey and brown in terms of color, which helps with the tone of the film and the cozy British feel. The shots that do use brighter colors such as green and purple are beautiful and give the film a jolt of energy and, just like the rap, helps with showing the modernization.
Set design?
The locations in this film are stunning, the manors, the pot farms, even the drab apartments are mesmerizing.
Costumes?
The costumes in the film are very British and even the cast has said, all the characters are dressed the same way Guy Ritchie dresses normally.
Technical Score: 100/100
d) ADD
Add up the marks of your review
286/300.
Give the film a total percentage.
95%
Make a concluding sentence or paragraph.
The Gentlemen is one of the best films of 2020 so far, it is a return to form for Guy Ritchie who had been in a bit of rut but post Aladdin and now this, he should be reinstated as a top Hollywood director. The technicality in this film is perfect and should be studied by film classes, writing classes, directing classes and acting classes. The Gentlemen is available to steam NOW on all major VOD providers (AppleTV, Google Play, Cineplex Store etc.)
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