The Nice Guys

Shane Black knows a thing about buddy action comedies. After all, he is the writing force behind the Lethal Weapon franchise, and has “Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang” and “The Last Boyscout” on his resume. “The Nice Guys” however, is his first foray into the 1970’s.

“The Nice Guys” is a buddy action crime caper of sorts with Ryan Gosling playing the drunk, sometime bumbling private investigator, Holland March, and Russell Crowe playing the strong, silent type, Jackson Healy. Angourie Rice steals the show as Holland’s daughter, Holly, who upstages her father in investigative skills and maturity at every turn. After a series of suspicious murders, they find themselves working together in an attempt to locate a young woman before it is too late.

Black does a nice job setting the tone for the film, and the set and costume designs are remarkable. The 1970’s never looked so cool, and I don’t know about you, but I’m always a sucker for the Hollywood scene in film. The humor certainly takes front seat to the action, but the pacing and intrigue is just enough to keep the film from stalling. Witty dialogue and shallow but familiar generic characters amplify the tone, but Black never was one to make a film realistic or emotional. There’s a reason they are called action-comedies, and to be honest, he is a master of his craft. He knows that it’s about the bullets flying, humor in the face of danger, and implausible situations that result in elaborate stunt work.

The story is a bit weak, with a valiant attempt at tying together the setting, the porn industry, the auto industry, and the Department of Justice. The shortcomings in plot development don’t really matter though. The real draw is the buddy chemistry and Shane Black knows it (and so should the audience). March and Healy are given just enough back story to gain our admiration and curiosity, and although they may not be likable as humans, they shine brightly as a duo.

Gosling shows his comic chops once again, and really drives this film forward. He finds that critical balance of humor and acting that is often missed in films of this nature, and when the actor does miss the mark, it leads to buffoonery (Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Kevin Hart), which flips the entire tone. Gosling has great comedic timing, but he also has the sex appeal and pedigree of more serious fare. He nails Holland March in a way that I suspect makes Shane Black proud.

Russell Crowe’s Healy shows a paunchier side we haven’t seen in a while, and coasts through his performance, offering sage, gravelly advice to Gosling’s more cavalier March. I was pleasantly surprised that he was the Murtaugh to Gosling’s Riggs (“Lethal Weapon” reference) and not vice versa. He is brutish, but flawed, and it takes the full film for us to understand him and really trust his character. It’s a nuanced performance, but well done considering the lightness of the movie.

John Boy (Matt Bohmer) and Blueface (Beau Knapp) are especially sinister as the villains, although both of their screen time is sadly limited severely. They relish in their over-done characters, but alas, there isn’t enough substance for them to partake in this movie.

Overall, considering the expectations, I was impressed. Two A-list actors, a 70’s Hollywood film noir setting, and the best buddy action-comedy writer/director of our time? It’s a great combination worthy of your viewing. 8/10.

Captain America: Civil War

The Marvel train continues rolling with the latest popcorn action blockbuster; “Captain America: Civil War”. It is less about Captain America (Chris Evans) and more a vehicle to introduce some new characters (Spider-Man, Black Panther), develop some lesser known ones more strategically (Winter Soldier, Ant-Man, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Vision), and have some fun with our old friends Iron Man, War Machine, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. That’s a lot of characters. Not quite as many as the rumored 67 who will be in the two “Avengers: Infinity Wars”, but it presents a challenge for even the most experienced film makers to wrangle the ensemble and give them adequate screen time without making the film seem disingenuous. More on that later.

The film divides the Avengers into two camps in the wake of another calamitous event which causes possibly preventable civilian collateral damage: Team Iron Man, who support a United Nations oversight committee in all matters that might call for the use of super powers. Team Captain America on the other side, doesn’t feel that they should answer to anyone because they know what is best for the people of the world and their judgment is pure and noble. Sounds like super delegates, not superheroes. I digress. I’m team Iron Man by the way.

A nefarious subplot, hatched by the mysterious Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) keeps the audience wondering what is driving the film besides big names with big muscles in lycra, spandex, face paint, tight pants, short skirts, or CGI, but in reality, it doesn’t matter. The hostile interactions of good guys and other good guys is the brilliance in itself. I was thinking midway through the film that there wouldn’t even need to be a bad guy. This film is just that much fun, and the directors nail the tone with sharp dialogue, fast-paced action, and great humor.

I have to admit, I had some doubts as to the success of such an ambitious venture, especially after the last “Avengers: Age of Ultron” as well as the recent disappointment, “Batman vs Superman”. It seems like superhero films are getting too big, too fast, with too many moving parts. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I commend Marvel for their long-range planning and the cogs that are fitting together nicely leading up to what is surely going to be the cinematic event of the decade (“Avengers: Infinity War”) This is assuming of course that James Cameron’s “Avatar” sequel takes another couple of decades to come to fruition.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo (“Captain America: Winter Soldier”) have adroitly taken on the challenge of amassing such a mixed bag of personalities. Particularly well done is the reimagining of Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland. His wit, agility, and especially humor is welcome as a Yang to Tony Stark’s Yin. Less wry and more awestruck and awkward. I genuinely look forward to the new and improved version of this character. Even Ant-Man’s Paul Rudd is a welcome sight as the excitement reaches a fever pitch and the royal rumble begins. Kudos to the Russo brothers for choreographing and moderating the chaos, which turns out like a well-orchestrated masterpiece.

“Civil War” is essentially Avengers part 3, but more importantly, it’s a farewell of sorts to the old regime, and a glimpse into the next generation. With so many simultaneous stories, it is difficult to keep track, so let this be your guide. “Doctor Strange” fills the Thanksgiving slot this year, while “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2” comes out next year along with “Spider-Man: Homecoming”. Then we see “Thor: Ragnarok” in November of 2017, followed by “Black Panther” and “Infinity Wars Part One” in 2018. Also in 2018, we see “Ant-Man and the WASP” as well as another Spider-Man animated film (unconfirmed). Finally, we get to “Avengers: Infinity Wars part 2” in 2019 followed by speculation of a Captain Marvel and Inhumans franchise. Throw in the Netflix television universe contributions of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Punisher, and Luke Cage, and there are more than enough characters to keep this train rolling indefinitely.

You know you’ll see “Civil War”. You’ve seen all the others, and if we’re being honest, you’ll see the rest of them too, probably even “Doctor Strange”. This may well be the best of the lot if you can forgive Captain’s undying loyalty to Bucky Barnes. He even gets to kiss a girl this time around. Nice work, Cap. 9/10.