The Nice Guys Review

The Nice Guys is, without a doubt, one of if not my favorite movie now. I think that's telling considering it's not a movie from the past decades, like some of my other favorites. It's one I would recommend to anyone without hesitation.

Story- L.A Private Detective Holland March (Ryan Gosling) investigates odd cases to make a living for himself and his daughter, Holly. One day he snoops around in the wrong place, causing the girl he's investigating, Amelia, to enlist the help of the brute Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) to get March to stop following her. Healy takes a visit to March's house, roughs him up by breaking his arm, and departs. Later that night, Healy gets visited by 2 thugs looking for Amelia, and he fights them off after a simple home field advantage (turning his tv on to distract the one thug). Healy seeks out March's help and they get to work.Through a series of events, March and Healy work together after one by one people involved with an experimental film turn up murdered, and they uncover a sinister plot involving drugs, pornography and the Mob.

Cinematography/Props- This movie is set in Los Angeles in the 70's, and perfectly encapsulates the beauty of the era. The props are time-accurate, from the cars to the outfits to the tvs. It is all done with amazing attention to detail. There are great shots that play to the comedic timing of Gosling, like in the beginning when he's helping an old lady and she says her husband's been missing since the funeral, and it pans to her fireplace mantel where her husband's urn is. There's even nice props in the background, such as a billboard of a Jaws sequel, or at a comedy club Tim Allen being the main act.

Acting- As I've described many times before, Ryan Gosling is one of the best actors around. He proves time and time again he brings an expertise to his roles, and this one is my favorite. His comedic timing is brilliant, and you can tell he really enjoys the characters he plays. Russell Crowe adds a nice depth with his character, who is a contrast in many ways to Gosling's character. He plays the macho guy, yet he is able to be likable and is very funny. A solid performance as well for Angourie Rice, who plays Holly. She didn't come off as a whiny child like a lot of children in other movies do. She stands her ground and tells it like it is, which is refreshing.

Directing- Shane Black is behind greats such as the Lethal Weapon franchise and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, another exceptional movie. He definitely shows his love for the genre and the world he builds, and he's become a director that I'm very excited to see more of, especially with his upcoming Predator reboot. You can tell he enjoys directing, because the whole movie is just so much fun and you can see he get's the best of his actors.

Soundtrack- Since it is a movie set in the 70's, the soundtrack does a nice job of accenting the movie with songs from that era. The original background compositions are also very enjoyable to compliment the film. It's one with songs that many people will recognize, not just people from the era.

Final verdict- A+. I really can't find flaws in this movie, it's just so much fun to watch, and after many viewings I still laugh just as hard as I did the first time.

#RyanGosling #RusselCrowe #comedy #action