Starting March 7, the crime series «The Gentlemen» by the famous English director and screenwriter Guy Ritchie will be available on Netflix. This is a spinoff of his feature film of the same name starring Matthew McConaughey, which can be safely called one of Ritchie’s best films, especially in recent years. In the review below, we discuss whether the series looks like an unfortunate vestige compared to the original project and what it offers in contrast to its hit predecessor.
Pluses:
quite an exciting criminal plot in the spirit of Guy Ritchie (with showdowns, intrigue, absurdity, etc.); a good cast, albeit not outstanding, but still good, especially in the secondary roles; the presence of Vinnie Jones, who was an indispensable element in Ritchie's early films; in the criminal story of the English director and screenwriter, there is finally a lot of space for a female character; a references to the original movie
Minuses:
compared to the original «The Gentlemen», the series loses on all counts; the fourth episode breaks the rhythm; lack of originality, some freshness and secondary importance; a bit of a stretch in the ending
«The Gentlemen»
Genre crime drama, comedy
Director Guy Ritchie
Starring Theo James, Kaya Scodelario, Giancarlo Esposito, Daniel Ings, Joely Richardson, Peter Serafinowicz, Vinnie Jones, Ray Winston
Premiere Netflix
Year of issue 2024
Website IMDb
The soldier Eddie Halstead returns home to his native England, where his father, on his deathbed, gives his son his last instructions. After the death of the old man, who was a wealthy duke and owned an ancient estate, it turns out that Eddie inherits his father’s title and all his property. The eldest son of the deceased, Freddie, is not happy about this, as he is a complete idiot who owes a large sum of money to some not-so-friendly Liverpudlians in tracksuits.
In his search for money, Eddie enlists the support of a young gangster named Susie Glass, who runs a local marijuana business. One of the underground greenhouses is located on the territory of the Halstead estate, which comes as a real surprise to brothers. At the initial stages of their cooperation, Eddie and Susie are on the same side of the barricades, but over time, the newly minted duke takes more and more desperate steps to get rid of the plantation located in his yard.
After conquering Hollywood and turning to different genres a little over 4 years ago, Guy Ritchie returned to what he does best — a British crime comedy-drama with colorful characters and exciting male showdowns. This return to his roots was truly triumphant — the film was well received by audiences and critics alike, and its characters and local wit became a real highlight of the plot.
«The Gentlemen» managed to hit the big screens just before the covid era, the beginning of which probably convinced Ritchie to make the project for streaming. The intention to create a series spinoff of «The Gentlemen» became known back in October 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Over the next three years, the multi-tasking director managed to shoot three more feature films, two of which featured the manly baldness of a transporter-mechanic-beekeeper and God knows who else, Jason Statham, and now he’s releasing new «The Gentlemen» on Netflix.
In the context of comparison with the original film, the TV version loses in all respects, from the plot’s intricacy to the charisma of the characters.
First of all, the main cast is clearly more modest and, as a result, the main characters are less colorful. In addition, the dialogues are not as witty as in its predecessor, and the narrative is not too intricate; therefore, it is more predictable. Ritchie hasn’t abandoned his favorite formalist techniques, such as playing with editing or, for example, using music to set the mood of the scene (the symphony orchestra and chorus are particularly memorable), but he has lost a bit of inventiveness, which makes the show, which already doesn’t shine with originality, seem stale.
In terms of content, however, «The Gentlemen» is still typical Guy Ritchie, albeit somewhat skimmed down, even if it is smeared over a generous series runtime and diluted by other directors. The first two episodes, directed by himself, constitute a single mini-plot and are watched in one breath, as the absurd madness inherent in Ritchie’s films harmoniously coexists with the fascinating and intriguing search for solutions to a serious problem.
The situation deteriorates somewhat starting from the fourth episode, when it becomes clear that the horizontal series has turned into a horizontal-vertical one and each episode is a new adventure. It is then that the set rhythm slows down noticeably, and new obstacles on the way of the characters sometimes seem to be pulled out of the blue. In general, the sagging at the equator stage is a typical phenomenon for modern shows, including Netflix, and it is especially evident when watching in bingewatching mode.
At the same time, it is absolutely clear that closer to the climax, the viewer will be returned to the original storyline, although it is hard to guess how it will unfold.
Probably the biggest surprise in «The Gentlemen» is the full-fledged main female character, because women are traditionally given insignificant roles in the harsh male worlds of the English filmmaker. Susie Glass, played by the bright Kaya Scodelario, is on a par with Theo James’ character, and in terms of her experience in the criminal world, she will give the Duke of Halstead a big head start.
At the same time, some well-known Rivera features have migrated here as well. These include interconnected storylines, when numerous puzzle elements converge in the ending, boxing fights as an important attribute of the narrative, and all sorts of bizarre character accents aimed at comic effect. The latter are especially noticeable given the lack of Ukrainian dubbing (only subtitles are available). And from time to time, the whole camp of peewee will appear in the frame.
We shouldn’t forget that the events take place in Guy Ritchie’s universe, where there is always room for, let’s say, some eccentricity. In one of the scenes, there is an absolutely wild trigger phrase «The Russians, sitting happily next to Ukrainians», but we must understand that it is heard at an underground boxing match with high stakes, where people who are not burdened with moral principles have gathered. Simply put, bandits and criminals with money. Or, for example, the plot features a character who worships Hitler and holds the Fuhrer’s testicle preserved in formaldehyde. Finally, it becomes dinner for a German shepherd, which is noteworthy.
So if you’re ready for another Guy Ritchie crime story where such absurd things happen, or if you’re just a fan of the former Madonna, the new series is definitely not to be missed. At the same time, you won’t find the same refreshing effect that the original movie once had here by daylight. But did anyone really expect that?