The Gentlemen is an action comedy film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, from a story by Ivan Atkinson, Marn Davies, and Ritchie. It follows an American marijuana kingpin in England who is looking to sell his business, setting off a chain of blackmail and schemes to undermine him. Having little knowledge about The Gentlemen, I was pleasantly surprised.
When Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), an infamous cannabis baron, who is a grower and dealer of marijuana decides he has had enough of the illegal drug profession, the word goes out that he wants to sell his lucrative business. Several interested buyers compete for the sale. A private investigator Fletcher (Hugh Grant) is hired by Big Dave (Eddie Marsan) to investigate Pearson’s links to Lord Pressfield (Samuel West), a minor Royal with a heroin-addicted daughter. Fletcher offers to sell his findings (typed up as a screenplay entitled Bush) to Pearson’s right-hand man Raymond (Charlie Hunnam) for £20 million. Born in poverty in the US, Pearson won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, where he began selling marijuana to privileged fellow students before dropping out and building up his criminal enterprise by violence. Big Dave has decided to sell his business to American billionaire Matthew Berger (Jeremy Strong) for $400 million so he can retire peacefully with his wife Rosalind (Michelle Dockery). Pearson is later approached by Dry Eye (Henry Golding), an underboss for Chinese gangster Lord George (Tom Wu) who offers to buy out Pearson’s business, but he refuses. When one of Mickey’s labs is raided by some unprofessional young adults, it is discovered that the crew belongs to Coach (Colin Farrell) who is very apologetic. Good luck with trying to figure this one out, there’s much more to come.
As you can see, there are several players in The Gentlemen. As Flecher spins his script to Raymond, you can see how complicated each player’s maneuvers make this an intriguing film. I thought The Gentlemen was cleverly written and reminded me of several movies that were based on a similar premise, e.g. Knives Out, Parasite, and Uncut Gems. This movie is fast-moving and will require your full attention in order to keep up. You will have to see The Gentlemen in its entirety as you won’t be able to solve this one on your own. I was thoroughly entertained and highly recommend The Gentlemen as a refreshing and different tale of “who’s in charge”. As of February 9, 2020, The Gentlemen has grossed $26.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $33.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $60.4 million. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 73% based on 211 reviews, with an average rating of 6.35/10. Check It Out!
Molly’s Game is a crime drama written and directed by Aaron Sorkin (in his directorial debut), based on the memoir, Molly’s Game: From Hollywood’s Elite to Wall Street’s Billionaire Boys Club, My High-Stakes Adventure in the World of Underground Poker by Molly Bloom. This film is based on a true story and is truly captivating.
I smell Oscar nominations here. The Judge goes deep into ones soul. I loved the way it wrapped up the ending and I loved the cast. Robert Downing, Jr. plays Hank Palmer, a hot shot lawyer from Chicago who has a reputation for winning his cases. When his mother dies, Hank is summoned back home where he hasn’t been for 20 years. He’s leaving his troubled home in Chicago where he has a cheating wife and a small daughter, arriving in his home town of Carlinville, Indiana where he has 2 brothers Glen Palmer (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Dale Palmer (Jeremy Strong) and a father, Judge Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall) that makes up a dysfunctional family that he never speaks to. Hank expected his trip back home to be short but when his father is accused of murdering a convict he sentenced in his court years ago, Hank stays to defend him. Many paths are explored in this 2 hour and 27 minute film. So far, The Judge has proven to be a more than worthy contender among the better movies I’ve seen this year. Billy Bob Thornton plays the states attorney (Dwight Dickham) who prosecutes the judge. Dax Shepard plays C. P. Kennedy the defense co-council and Hank’s daughter, Laura Palmer (Emma Tremblay) are just a few that make an excellent cast. While visiting Carlinville, Hank discovers there are many old relationships that need closure. This film makes for a very interesting story and well worth the price of a movie ticket to see it.
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