The Nice Guys (2016) - A Review

Sometimes, there are movies that just can't be placed in a single category, and The Nice Guys (2016) is definitely one of them. Indeed, it's a rarity in these annual churn outs of Hollywood comedies.

The Plot: Two detectives must investigate the apparent suicide of a 1970s pornstar. 

 The Good: Have to give credit to Shane Black's direction, and his co-written screenplay with Anthony Bagarozzi. From the onset to the ending, it's one hell of  thriller and the pacing is definitely to die for. The cinematography is of an equally impeccable taste, and DOP Philippe Rousselot really did his best at lighting the sets throughout the duration.

Of course, the foremost aspect of this feature are the leads: Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. Crowe is brilliant as the tough guy, and Gosling literally surprised me by portraying a PI with less confidence as opposed to playing a totally different personality in 2015's The Big Short.

The Nice Guys constantly reminded me of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) which Black also directed and wrote. KKBB is one of my favorite black comedies, and after so many years has another venture managed to surpass that cinematic flair.

This feature relies utmost on characterization over dramatization. We have no sentimental flashback sequences of our dynamic duo, and that I thought made the script quite distinct from other comedy thrillers, as in not making our heroes emotional but rather more motivational. And the slapstick devices used to move the plot forward are quite reminiscent of the Lethal Weapon quadrilogy, so it comes as no surprise that Black wrote the first part.

The Bad: However, The Nice Guys is not without its flaws. After the initial hour and a half of a 116 minutes running times, it seemed the final sequences seemed more forced than voluntarily written. Also, Angourie Rice's individual Holly is occasionally quite annoying, and the exhibition would've done better by allotting her lesser time on the screen.

The Verdict: The Nice Guys might not be to everyone's taste due to its slight explicitness, but it strays from the pack by being a lone wolf in a genre that demands additional showcases of such exclusive quality.

The Rating: 3 out of 4.

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