Review of The Nice Guys (2016) by Thequietgamer — 20 Jan 2017

The key strength of the movie comes from it's characters. Gosling and Crowe give two fantastic performances. The former being the standout in my opinion. His goofy, screw up character brings the majority of the laughs as he clumsily (or rather, drunkenly) stumbles his way through ever scenario in some of the most absurd and hilarious ways possible. Crowe plays the brute with a hidden heart of gold. A role that, while perhaps familiar, suits him perfectly. His more grounded and serious character gives the movie that excellent sense of balance and surprising chemistry between it's two leads. Plus Crowe is actually funnier than one may think.

Of course it also helps that the movie is incredibly clever. Shane Black seems to be able to find jokes at every turn. These two down on their luck heroes are involved in situations that are just as comedic as they are dangerous. And believe me, there's plenty of danger. Bullets fly and hitmen are around every corner. One of the areas where Crowe particularly shines is in the action.

The Nice Guys is a welcome throwback to both the buddy cop/detective movies of yesteryear as well as the 70's as a whole. It's wealth of new ideas keep it from feeling like just a nostalgic retread. It's just a laugh riot with a lot of style and good ideas. The memorable performances from the two leads alone makes it worth a watch, but when you mix in all the other great stuff happening onscreen, well this movie is practically a don't miss experience.

9.