Image: Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in The Nice Guys; photograph courtesy Roadshow Entertainment.
‘Forget it Jake; it’s Chinatown,’ isn’t uttered in The Nice Guys; however the line of dialogue, made famous by the film that’s shares its title with its location, could’ve easily found its way into Shane Black’s nodding, nostalgic neo-noir effort. Making his third feature as a director after Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3, Black winks enthusiastically at the P.I. canon of movies gone by, and to crime capers and other tales set in the unseemly side of the so-called City of Angels. Indeed, as co-written with first-time scribe Anthony Bagarozzi, his film is a love letter to the genre it falls within, as made with adoring, astute, amused and affable eyes.
All those traits apply not only to The Nice Guys‘ appropriation of its many sources of inspiration, but to the easy-going movie that emerges from Black’s blend of complicated heroes, hefting servings of violence and slapstick-dominated humour. While his own back catalogue also proves influential — specifically the buddy comedy pedigree and mismatched character formula that stems from his involvement in the Lethal Weapon series — the filmmaker has crafted the type of offering that feels like he’s happily cruising through familiar terrain, and yet equally appears as though he’s playfully, albeit somewhat meanderingly and scrappily, finding his own relaxed way forward.
Aping many a well-worn storyline, a girl is missing and deaths keep mounting as a detective becomes immersed in a Los Angeles-set conspiracy. Actually, there’s two men on the case: bumbling private investigator Holland March (Ryan Gosling, The Big Short) is being paid to track down a lost lady, while tough thug-for-hire Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe, The Water Diviner) has been asked to make sure that he doesn’t sniff out another. Though their first meeting results in a broken arm for March and a chocolate-flavoured beverage for Healey, soon they’re joining forces to try to find the absent Amelia (Margaret Qualley, TV’s The Leftovers), who just might be linked to the death of an adult entertainment star. March’s 13-year-old daughter Holly (Angourie Rice, These Final Hours) also tags along as their search crosses paths with gun-toting heavies (including Magic Mike XXL‘s Matt Bomer), the head of the justice department (Kim Basinger, Grudge Match), and a kid who calls himself a “projectionalist” (Jack Kilmer, Palo Alto).
The Nice Guys doesn’t just want to be 2016’s take on a ’70s-set, orange-lit, disco-scored underworld escapade; or the kind of lark that mixes mystery and thrills while exposing the other side of a seemingly glamorous location; or a mixture of sweet, cynical, silly and self-mocking, either. Instead, it wants to be all of the above, an ambition that ensures the 116-minute film sustains interest, garners laughs, and remains a laidback exercise in detective procedurals and action-comedy all at once. Its intentions couldn’t be any clearer from the outset, but that doesn’t make the movie any less effective at achieving its aims. As the camera roves over Tinseltown, zooms in on a particular backyard, follows a teenage boy sneaking a look at a porno magazine, and then interrupts his ogling with a car crashing through his house, Black uses his opening scene to set the precedent for everything to follow: the glossy overview giving way to something less shiny and more comic, the combination of carnal appeal and stylised carnage, and the relatable traits paired with a heightened scenario included.
And yet, with Gosling and Crowe stealing the spotlight every time they share the frame — and Rice threatening to steal their thunder as well — the feature’s twisty narrative, tongue-in-cheek tone and teasing aesthetic approach aren’t its main focus. Don’t dismiss the lead duo as just the latest on-screen odd couple pairing, nor their Australian co-star as their tagalong support act; their performances are the primary reason that everything around them works as well as it does. Gosling showcases the deadpan and physical comedy gifts audiences never knew he had, Crowe turns a brooding brute into more than the gruff, grunting stereotype expected, and Rice is the real brains of the operation, as well as a wellspring of smarts, resourcefulness and emotion. With these three actors in such stellar form, The Nice Guys could’ve almost let them wander through any pseudo cops versus criminals plot, so it’s far from surprising or unwelcome that the film leaves room for a sequel.
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
The Nice Guys
Director: Shane Black
US, 2016, 116 mins
Release date: May 26
Distributor: Roadshow Entertainment
Rated: MA
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