Ritchie at his Roots

 

Thank God. One of my favourite directors, Guy Ritchie, has returned to his senses and to the genre where he shines -- the London underworld drama. The heist flick is where he began, and where he introduced British low-life actors like Jason Stratham.  

After the likes of 'King Arthur' and 'Aladdin' (delicate shudder) Ritchie is back with 'The Gentlemen' and his partners in crime are an ensemble cast led by the evergreen Mathew McConaughey as an expat American drug lord.  Or weed lord, to be precise, as the film carefully makes the distinction between recreational marijuana and the hard stuff.

One pleasant surprise is scene-stealer Hugh Grant, who -- given the chance to be anything other than the romcom silly duffer -- proves his acting chops with his portrayal of the seedy (and camp) private investigator.  Michelle Dockery trades her cut glass Downton Abbey accent for street smart on-the-way-up Cockney patter, and Colin Farrell is excellent as the earnest mixed martial arts coach.

And the director, with his own mix of blue blood (posh lineage, public school) and blue collar experience (expelled at 15, mean streets livelihood) knows exactly the right balance to strike.

Ritchie returns to his roots but keeps it contemporary with manic YouTubers, rising Asian influences in the UK and the coming legalization of weed (and the profits to be accrued thereof).

Altogether an excellent romp and a worthy successor to 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels', 'Snatch' and 'RocknRolla'.