The Nice Guys

Rating: 8/10 (26 August 2017)

Shane Black has been known for his creative writing, clever use of violence and a knack for great humour, we've seen this in Lethal Weapon. This paired with superb characterization and great acting from both Russell Crowe (Jackson Healy) and Ryan Gosling (Holland March) provide the back bone for a fantastic movie.
While the cliché of the serious, hard hitting macho man paired with the witty, surprisingly smart side kick has been used and abused in many detective / cop comedies. The Nice Guys get away with it. The various interactions between March and Healy along with March's daughter Holly (Angourie Rice) are fresh and entertaining. Healy's seriousness is offset by a down in the dumps, depressed, drunken March whose inebriated antics and don't give a **** attitude will have you weak at the knees.
The over the top nature continues to remind the viewer its a movie, the characters never really focused on the immanent and direct danger. This steals most of the serious tones and allows the viewer to take the film with a grain of salt. It plays off completely unnatural reactions to vastly unrealistic movie situations (as many action comedies do) yet at the same time throws in touches of realism that pulls things back into perspective without losing its comedic effect (e.g. the exceptional scene of March punching the glass and slitting his wrist).
I know the previous paragraph is a cliché for modern crime / action comedies (e.g. The Others Guys, Deadpool for example) however, The Nice Guys plays into a genuinely interesting and compelling plot that isn't afraid to push boundaries, woven in with a 70's theme that adds a brilliant extra dimension.
Superb acting and hilarious characters keep it from being another "passable movie." So while the movie is a little bit clichéd, it's refreshing, original, comedic take on a already strong movie formula will no doubt have you laughing. This paired with a great, original plot, keeps you entertained and captivated for the full 2 hours. Highly recommend this movie.