A funnier version of Lethal Weapon

Rating: 10/10 (24 July 2017)

I saw 'The Nice Guys' just when it came out since it was coming from the same writer as the original Lethal Weapon movie, (while not to mention the two lead actors are from Canada and NZ) one has to wonder if that same magic has been captured again in this weird looking "buddy movie" or not, right?
The 1970's: Captured 90% but Recreated 200%.
Set in 1970's Los Angeles, The Nice Guys sees a pair of detectives hunting down information in relation to a missing porn star, who's disappeared from the public eye in what appears to be a suicide. Sounds pretty standard, right? Like any good plot, there's a massive conspiracy going on underneath the surface.
When they first meet on screen, Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) assaults his (soon to be) partner, Holland March (Ryan Gosling). This important scene sets the tone for what is to come later, as the two, who both exude a strong screen presence, have a natural chemistry with one another.
It's like a remake of The Classic Odd Couple as Nice Guys, starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe - while you might get a turn-off instantly just by looking at the poster or the mediocre trailer but take my advice: go for it! Laugh your arse of with some real laugh out loud moments in this movie.
Shane Black, famed for another buddy cop movie in Lethal Weapon, has managed to recreate some magic in terms of entertainment and straight out fun. Perhaps his re-pairing with Lethal Weapon producer, Joel Silver, helps here somewhat.
Both Crowe and Gosling play their roles well, and believably so at that. Russell Crowe has always been believable as a hard man in movies, and he is well cast here. Gosling, on the other hand, has a wide variety of roles behind him that are memorable, and this is another that can be added to that long list.
But as under-rated as it is, it is filled with truly hysterical moments, several bits of physical comedy that Gosling pulls off throughout the movie, combined with the excellent straight man work by Crowe, the two actors become a surprisingly brilliant comedy duo, carrying "The Nice Guys" past one or two flat jokes, needed edits and a cluttered finale.