Movie Profile: THE GENTLEMEN (2019)
| Attribute | Details |
| Release Date | January 24, 2020 (USA) / January 1, 2020 (UK) |
| Director & Writer | Guy Ritchie |
| Genre | Action, Comedy, Crime |
| Runtime | 113 minutes |
| Lead Cast |
• Matthew McConaughey (Mickey Pearson) • Charlie Hunnam (Raymond Smith) • Henry Golding (Dry Eye) • Michelle Dockery (Rosalind Pearson) • Jeremy Strong (Matthew Berger) • Colin Farrell (Coach) • Hugh Grant (Fletcher) |
Trailer
Plot Overview
Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey) is an American expat who built a highly lucrative, secret marijuana empire in London by leasing the underground land of cash-strapped British aristocrats. When word leaks that Mickey is looking to cash out his business for $400 million and retire with his wife Rosalind (Michelle Dockery), it sets off a chain reaction of greed, blackmail, and betrayal across the British underworld.
Sensing an opportunity, rival American billionaire Matthew Berger (Jeremy Strong) attempts to undercut Mickey’s valuation, while upstart East Asian triad boss Dry Eye (Henry Golding) tries to take over the empire by force. Meanwhile, sly sleazebag private investigator Fletcher (Hugh Grant) corners Mickey’s right-hand man, Raymond (Charlie Hunnam), with a detailed movie screenplay he has written detailing all of Mickey’s illegal activities—demanding $20 million in exchange for keeping the police and tabloids quiet.
Key Themes & Cinematic Style
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Return to British Gangster Roots: After directing big-budget studio projects like Sherlock Holmes and Aladdin, The Gentlemen marked Guy Ritchie’s triumphant return to the stylish, fast-paced British crime comedy genre that made him famous with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch.
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Framing & Meta-Narrative: The entire film is structured as a frame narrative, with Hugh Grant’s character Fletcher narrating the events to Charlie Hunnam’s character Raymond in a pitch for a film script, complete with cinematic embellishments and rewrites.
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Standout Ensemble Performances: Highlighting the film’s success was Hugh Grant’s wildly eccentric performance as the sleazy tabloid investigator Fletcher and Colin Farrell’s scene-stealing role as “Coach,” a tracksuit-wearing martial arts trainer trying to keep his youthful street team out of trouble.