Review: The Gentlemen (4K)

Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey) is an American expatriate who became rich by building a highly profitable marijuana empire in London. When word gets out that he’s looking to cash out of the business, it soon triggers an array of plots and schemes — including bribery and blackmail — from shady characters who want to steal his domain.

Plot: An American expat (Mickey Pearson) tries to sell off his highly profitable marijuana empire in London, triggering plots, schemes, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain out from under him.

Director: Guy Ritchie

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Runtime: 113 min

Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: It may not win writer-director Guy Ritchie many new converts, but for those already attuned to the filmmaker’s brash wavelength, The Gentlemen stands tall.

Online Ratings:

  1. Rotten Tomatoes 74% (Audience 84%)
  2. IMDB 8.0
  3. Metacritic 51
  4. Cinemascore B+

“I loved everything about this film!”

Review:

The whole thing gets started when Big Dave gets snubbed by Cannabis King Mickey Pearson at a party. This leads to Dave hiring a private investigator to find the links to a Royal Duke with a heroin-addicted daughter. Fletcher offers to sell his findings (typed up as a screenplay) to Pearson’s right-hand man, Raymond, for $20,000,000.

After you get the story of how Pearson worked his way up to being the “King,” we learn that he plans to sell his business to an American billionaire for $400,000,000. Why? He can retire peacefully with his wife and get out of the game. Pearson shows the billionaire one of the labs where he grows his cannabis under the estates of aristocratic landlords, who need cash for the upkeep of their homes to get the buying process started.

Soon after the meeting Pearson is approached by Dry Eye, an underboss ‘on the come up’ Chinese gangster working for Lord George. Dry Eye offers to buy out Pearson’s business, but he refuses and is disgusted that he even asked. Coincidentally, Pearson’s lab is then raided by amateur MMA fighters and aspiring YouTubers “The Toddlers” who steal a van-load of marijuana and upload a rap video of their takedown online.

Since problems are starting to arise, Pearson begins transferring his cannabis plants out of the estates while also agreeing to bring home Pressfield’s wayward daughter Laura. His right hand man finds Laura living with several other addicts, but during the attempt to retrieve her, a fight brakes out and one of Raymond’s men accidentally pushes one of the men out of the window — where he falls to his death.

What happens next? You need to watch the film to find out.

In conclusion —

Have you ever watched a really good trailer that doesn’t correlate to the movie? What about a trailer that seems to set a certain mood, but doesn’t translate on screen? Good news… The Gentlemen doesn’t have that problem in either case. Not only is the trailer and the movie great, but the trailer also shockingly matches the tone of the film… and I loved every minute of it.

There’s a specific genre that Guy Ritchie sets — dare I say ‘gangster-comedy,’ but it works. I haven’t seen a film like this in a very long time which is why I think I enjoyed it so much. Where can you have a movie that’s about selling a script for an ‘over the top’ movie that telegraphs almost every move, but still feels pure at the same time? Nowhere. This movie really does stand on it’s own.

I would say that The Gentlemen is top-notch entertainment that’s not only self-aware, but alive and attentive to every piece of dialogue. As a final note, I just have to say, while Matthew McConaughey’s performance is great, the winner for me is Charlie Hunnam! He nails it!

When it comes to the UHD disc, it’s a looker. It’s a clear and noticeable jump over the Blu-ray, especially when it comes right down to the clarity and color. First, the HDR brings the POP! to the various backdrops, skin textures and clothing. You will notice how it brings out all the aforementioned items when they get up close and personal — it’s rich and dynamic in their own way. Secondly, you will see the clarity jump in the enhanced detail shown the characters faces and in the textures of their various wardrobes. It’s the little things across the board, but they do stand out nicely. Just know that it’s a rock-solid transfer that isn’t flashy, but holds strong. I’d recommend the jump to the best format.

When it comes to the Bonus Features, it’s unfortunately just a short 6 or 7 minutes in total. The only one I’d suggest you’d check out is the ‘Best Gentlemen Quips’ feature. You get to re-live all the hilarious moments of the film all wrapped up in one segment. I believe it plays right after the credits roll, so wait for it.

Taking everything I’ve said into account, The Gentlemen gets my day-one recommendation to add to your collection. Pick this up as soon as you can, it’s the kind of movie that will warrant multiple viewings. I might have been in the perfect mood to enjoy this, but it’s a borderline classic! Officially, you can grab a copy at your local retailer when it releases on 4K & Blu-ray April 21st!

Did you catch The Gentlemen in theater? Were you a fan of this movie? Will you be picking it up to own? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Cheers & stay safe,

Matt.

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