Lots of fun, not much substance...

Rating: 7/10 (13 July 2016)

First I get the ugly parts out of the way. The script is muddled, weak and lacking in credibility. Most of the supporting actors are dreadful. And a few of the characters are downright annoying.
The good part is, it's still a fun movie. Russell Crowe as a streetwise, knuckle-crunching, mercenary bad guy really works. And Ryan Gosling plays an entirely believable not-overly-bright private detective. The interaction between those two was the show. Most of the other stuff got in the way.
The soundtrack was wonderful and all of the mid-70s trivia was just perfect.
The end of the film - with the detectives teaming up in a new co. seems to set the stage for a "Nice Guys" franchise I guess. If that's really the case, the producers need to get some better writers for the next episode if they expect this formula to work again. But this first time out was a lot of fun.