The Nice Guys

The Nice Guys

Starring Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Kim Basinger

Directed by Shane Black

The Story:
In 1977 Los Angeles, porn star Misty Mountains (Murielle Telio) is murdered, yet her aunt claims she is still alive.  She hires private detective Holland March (Ryan Gosling) to find her, but he ends up with the same knowledge as everyone else - she's dead.  However, his investigation does turn up facts about a woman named Amelia Kutner (Margaret Qualley), the daughter of the head of Department of Justice Judith Kutner (Kim Basinger).  Amelia hires enforcer Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) to stop March from following her and, after beating him up, decides to team up with him to find Amelia before a gang of killers do.

With the aide of March's thirteen-year-old daughter Holly (Angourie Rice), the trio discover the truth behind Misty's death, connections with other murders and the disappearance of Amelia, as well as piecing the puzzle together involving the porn industry, the automobile companies and the dangerous Los Angeles smog.

The Synopsis:
Shane Black is best known for directing "Iron Man 3," but he also directed the criminally underrated "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," and "The Nice Guys" serves as another type of Black film more in the guise of "Bang Bang" than "Iron Man 3."  This is a very good thing, as the result is an intelligent buddy cop comedy set in a fascinating decade with an intriguing story and an old-style tale.

Black manages to transport us to Los Angeles 1977, complete with the housing designs, fashion and automobiles.  Cell phones weren't yet invented, and the world was a completely different place.  It's through this backdrop that we're introduced to our two heroes - well, they're not actual heroes.  Ryan Gosling's Holland March is an alcoholic and, in the words of his own daughter, "the worst private investigator in the world."  He's a bumbling fool of a man who screams like a girl and literally falls into clues (in a delicious homage to Lou Costello, when he stumbles upon a dead body and has the same comedic reaction).  In contrast, Russell Crowe's Jackson Healy is a no-nonsense guy - it's all business, even if it involves murder.  In the middle of these two is the true heart of the film, March's young daughter Holly.  Proving herself to be the smartest person in the room, she's the clear voice of reason and unafraid of most things her father is terrified of.

Newcomer Angourie Rice is a naturally talented actress who will go far in the business as long as she doesn't fall into the pitfalls of previous child actors.  The comedic pairing of Gosling and Crowe is a match made in Hollywood heaven, as the two have a natural chemistry and work extremely well off each other.  Gosling has some of the film's funniest scenes, and his natural charisma and comedic timing add to the value of the picture.  Crowe, as the more straight-laced of the duo, also delivers the laughs just by reacting to Gosling's wild antics.  Kim Basinger and Matt Bomer round out the cast, but neither really offer anything to the picture as they're both in it for about a combined total of twenty minutes.

The story is an action-packed tale filled with intrigue, suspense, and twists-and-turns that you don't normally see in a seemingly light-hearted buddy cop comedy, but it's something Black is well-known for (once again I refer to the amazing "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang"), and it gives a "L.A. Confidential" feel to the movie (especially since it stars Crowe and Basinger, who both appeared in both films).

The Summary:
Turning back to his more satirical roots, director Shane Black delivers a fascinating tale of murder, intrigue and suspense in 1977 Los Angeles, featuring two of Hollywood's A-list actors who have amazing chemistry.

The Score: A-