I Had An Awesome Time Watching The Nice Guys. Go See This Movie

Rating: 9/10 (21 May 2016)

I love the summer blockbuster season. I enjoy smaller films but it's usually the late spring to early fall where I end up going to the theatre 3-4 times a month. People like to criticize those movies as immature and juvenile. But I like watching franchises and sequels and I won't apologize for it. So while I like the big films, it's movies like The Nice Guys that remind me how important original properties can be.
*Minor Spoilers Ahead* The Nice Guys is set in Los Angeles in 1977. We watch a scene where a young boy sneaks into his parents' bedroom to sneak a peek at his dad's porno stash. After he gets away, we see a car drive off the large hill behind the house and crash right into the house below. The boy is unharmed and goes out to investigate the wreck. Coincidentally, the passenger in the car is the same porn star (Misty Mountains) that the boy was looking at in the magazine. She lies there half naked and unfortunately dies. The boy covers her up and we hear sirens in the distance.
We then meet The Nice Guys. First is Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) who is a thug for hire but not in a mafia capacity. You need to send a violent message to someone, slip him some money and he'll greet the guy with his fists and a pair of brass knuckles. Jackson doesn't seem evil however, more world-weary and cynical. He's still getting over his divorce and wants some purpose to his life. He meets his next client Amelia (Margaret Qualley) who gives him the name Holland March and his address. She claims that he's been following/stalking her. Jackson agrees to take the job and they part company.
Our other "hero" is Holland March (Ryan Gosling). We see him wake up in a bathtub full of water, fully clothed in a suit. There is an answering machine right beside the tub with a message from his daughter Holly (Angourie Rice) that he's supposed to be working and that since it's her birthday. March tells us about how slimy his job as a P.I. is, how he's a drunk and that he's dealing with the death of his wife. March does not appear to be sympathetic, we see him take a job at a nursing home from a concerned old lady looking for her missing husband when he's being kept in an urn on her mantle. We also see he's a bit of a klutz, he's been hired to look for Amelia and he tries to break into a bar after hours. He accidentally cuts his wrist however and ends up in the hospital instead.
These two professionals collide at March's house when Healy shows up to deliver Amelia's message. Jackson beats Holland up and seems content to leave but March keeps trying to reach for his gun. This leads Jackson to break his arm just to make sure it sinks in. Jackson thinks his work is done but when he returns to his apartment, two goons (Keith David and Beau Knapp) beat him up, demanding to know where Amelia is.
The first thing I want to say about this movie is that it looks cool. It's a period piece set in the 1970s and it seemed to be very period accurate. I liked the wardrobe, the vehicles and the set design, everything looked great. Add in some great 1970s music for the soundtrack (including Earth Wind and Fire) and you get to travel back in time to the 1970s. I thought the movie nailed that aspect and showed the attention to detail with embracing the funky atmosphere of that time period. I know The Nice Guys wasn't made for pennies but it was nice to see such a great looking film that didn't need 200 million to do it.
So if you talk to film buff, you'll likely learn that the director of this movie is Shane Black who was a pioneer in the action/buddy comedy genre. It's not surprising that he was involved in the writing and he directed the movie because the dialogue and action are both top notch. There are so many funny jokes in here I wasn't just laughing once or twice for every 20 min but consistently throughout. The action was also pretty gritty and brutal. You wince with every blow and they even found a way to intertwine the comedy into it making for some funny gags. You get the feeling that there was a really good team behind this and looking at the credits, there sure was.
At the same time, they didn't just rely on the material because they have 2 leads who pull their characters off effortlessly. Russell Crowe is the less animated of the two, he's more the straight man. But he gets more than his share of moments, he fits into the tone of this movie really well and he brings a great balance of his action man persona with some decent comic timing. Ryan Gosling really shows how versatile he can be in this movie. He does a lot of physical comedy here and he pulls it off completely. He's hilarious and his chemistry with Crowe is excellent. I also wanted to single out Angourie, she has a great character to play but she holds her own against two A list stars. The rest of the cast is excellent too. Matt Bomer, Keith David, Yaya DaCosta are all good.
I really thought this movie was a treat to see. I had a smile on my face from beginning to end. The Nice Guys is really funny throughout, the action packs a punch, the cast give some great performances and the story was both interesting and involving. I really hope people get out to see this, we could use more movies like it. Especially if they're made with this level of expertise.