The Gentlemen Series Review: Endowed With That Love of Style That Characterizes Ritchie’s Vision
Cast: Kelly Rowland, Trevante Rhodes, Nick Saga Theo James, Kaya Scodelario, Daniel Ings, Joely Richardson, Giancarlo Esposito, Peter Serafinowicz, Vinnie Jones
Created By: Guy Richie
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars)
The Gentlemen is the title of an eight-episode TV series, available on Netflix from March 7. The Gentlemen is also the title of a 2019 film starring, among others, Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Colin Farrell, and Hugh Grant, appreciated by critics and well-treated by the public in theaters; has the merit of having put the career of one of the most eclectic contemporary British authors – director, screenwriter and producer, Mr. Guy Ritchie, back on track. His electric and borderline cinema flirts with the genre (action, thriller, gangster) without taking itself too seriously. The formula, a horrible word, can be summarized in the mathematical combo action + laughter. From an offshoot of the 2019 film comes the 2024 TV series, located in the same fictional universe to expand, deepen, and dilate its dynamics, opening up to new scenarios, new narrative plots, and, above all, new characters.
There was immediate talk of a spin-off. The Gentlemen, the series, is the spin-off, the disguised continuation, the narrative and thematic derivation of the previous film but, I warn sailors, if it is a spin-off, the derivative character of the operation is tempered by the strong personality of a story that doesn’t let itself be influenced too much by the original but is no less friendly towards the viewer for this reason. Much more simply: it is not essential to have seen the film to keep up with the series. Guy Ritchie, here creator and previous demiurge of the film, has created a narratively and thematically self-sufficient world even if connected, in tone and atmosphere, to the original. If you have seen the film, you will find an action-comedy flavor that you already know. If you haven’t seen it, whether you catch it or not, you won’t have to try too hard to get into the story. Now we need to talk about the cast.
The Gentlemen Series Review: The Story Plot
Let’s rewind the narrative tape and return to the origins to understand what happens in this series, which has the advantage of being able to be fully enjoyed without having seen the film. Here, therefore, we find the character of Eddie Halstead (Theo James), a young man belonging to the British aristocracy but who has chosen to dedicate himself to a bilateral life. Suddenly, however, he is torn from his everyday life and called home to his father’s bedside. Here, unexpectedly, he discovers that he is the heir to the dukedom, complete with property and title. An unplanned event, given that he is the secondborn. The father’s will, however, is quite clear in the choice to exclude the eldest son Freddy (Daniel Ings).
Things, however, are even more complex than you might think. Freddy is seriously in debt to unsavory people and, as if that wasn’t enough, Eddie discovers a real cannabis factory in a quiet, underground area of the estate. All were managed by a local underworld family who paid the old duke a generous rent and, above all, gave a portion of the proceeds. At this point, what to do and how to deal with this unexpected situation? The first directives come from Susie Glass (Kaya Scodelario), head of the cannabis operation. And, again, she provides the unsuspecting Eddie with contacts with the criminal world and some experience. In this way, therefore, the new duke tries to navigate a situation that to define as unexpected is an understatement. All while also trying to limit the damage caused by his brother’s chaotic energy.
The Gentlemen is a spin-off, but not one of those crushed on the original. If films and series share the same universe, the same cannot be said about the characters and environments. Everything is different apart from the feeling; to make the task easier for the unaware spectator, who knows nothing about the past, we start from scratch, focusing on the charm and freshness of many new faces. There’s no point in expecting sensational returns or the kind of pandering winks that represent the (questionable) standard for many contemporary spin-offs. There has been talk of a new cast and it is a new cast, starting with the protagonist couple Theo James and Kaya Scodelario. They are young, cute, and not entirely at ease in the criminal underworld that hosts their first, unexpected, but who knows providential (for both) meetings.
The alchemy of the two characters is a clever intertwining of confused and less confused identities, of a criminal and calculating attitude faced with a solid sense of justice. Eddie Halstead (James) has long since abandoned the frivolous life of a scion of the British aristocracy. He is a good soldier and never looks back. When his father dies, he can’t help but return home to a very elegant estate somewhere in the English countryside. When it comes time to open the will, Eddie is heartbroken (more or less) but he’s not worried, because he’s not the firstborn and it’s not like he’s looking for someone who knows what responsibility is in the family. Eddie’s mother is called Lady Sabrina (Joely Richardson), his sister Charly (Jasmine Blackborow), and his older brother, theoretically destined to succeed their father, Freddy (Daniel Ings). Unfortunately, Freddy is a total lunatic, irrational, immature, and full of vices and addictions; he is convinced that the line of dynastic continuity will prevail this time too but, to everyone’s shock, the deceased has nominated his younger son as heir.
The solid, stoic, irreproachable Eddie becomes Duke despite himself, to the obvious disdain of his older brother, who feels cheated of the privileges of tradition, to the perplexity of the family, and his amazement. But the surprises don’t end there. There are many things that Eddie didn’t know about his family, and the most important is that his father, to deal with economic problems, had given the estate’s basement to a drug kingpin, Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone), now in prison but supported in the business by his daughter Susie (Scodelario). Susie built a huge hangar greenhouse right under the estate for processing marijuana. It’s not that simple to get rid of them. We have to come to terms with it. Eddie discovers that the life of crime, the unexpected professional partnership with Susie, suits him like a glove. A (criminal) star is born? Perhaps.
Of course, Eddie and Susie aren’t alone. There is a sprawling, not-at-all-welcoming criminal ecosystem moving above them and all around them, seriously calling into question the solidity of the partnership. It is not wise to anticipate too much about a series that, without chasing the ghost of one shocking revelation after another, due to its nature as a crime-comedy hybrid needs suspense to support the effectiveness of its dramatic one-two punches. The contribution of a smiling and mischievous Giancarlo Esposito, an American millionaire very interested in Eddie’s estate, should not be forgotten, on the margins of history, but we will see how much later.
The Gentlemen Series Review and Analysis
The elegant Theo James, after showing a new side of himself with The White Lotus, returns to play a character with strong charm like the protagonist of The Gentlemen. A fine and accurate interpretation, which contrasts perfectly with that of Daniel Ings, interpreter of the cocaine-addicted brother, capable of drastically complicating the life of the new Duke. Frederik is a tragicomic character, as well as comic relief capable of building truly crazy dynamics. Closing the trio, a charming Kaya Scodelario in a new refined and intelligent guise, a Tarantinian Mr. Wolf but in an English style. Among the secondary characters, however, we cannot fail to underline the presence of the King of Hollywood elegance, namely, Giancarlo Esposito. The former Gus Fring of Breaking Bad once again plays a gentlemanly and classy role, as only he can do! Oh, and so as not to miss the variety of English accents present in the series (from the classic British Cockney to the Liverpool Scouse) we advise you to recover it directly in the original language. Then don’t say we didn’t tell you!
The Gentlemen is a good series capable of keeping you glued to the screen not so much for the plot but for the charisma of the actors. Despite this, compared to the original film, it lacks in representing the exuberance and unpredictability characteristic of the characters in Ritchie’s film. In a certain sense, through this new narrative approach of the novice with a heart of gold among the gangsters, the series does not fail to create a good story, rather it limits itself, not offering something comparable to the original work. After the first two episodes directed by Ritchie, the series drops slightly in style although maintaining the distinctive trait of the English filmmaker. As we said before, despite some problems, The Gentlemen is not a bad series because, ultimately, it involves the viewer. It seems, however, a less worthy copy of Peaky Blinders updated with the times. The similarities with the series created by Steven Knight are many but it will then be up to you to notice the similarities and come back to comment under this review! Now, that the new King of the London jungle has woken up, we’ll see how he will be received by the spectators.
It is clear right away that The Gentlemen is a series that has something that doesn’t work, that it is a title that has potential but that is struggling to reach the public and make them passionate about this story of British crime where good and evil they blend and interchange with each other. What is certain is that the gangster genre must be liked but even in this case what is lost, especially in the first episodes of Guy Ritchie’s series, is the rhythm, the dynamism, and, even more so, the emotion. And so this series struggles to build a bond with its audience, it struggles to make them passionate and to make them believe that behind a story of money, shootings, nobility, and some ironic jokes, there is a little more depth. It’s as if the series continued following a script that always remains on the surface and fails to leap in quality that it deserves, and that the viewer needs.
The Gentlemen, directed by Guy Ritchie in the first two episodes – the most disappointing of the series – just doesn’t manage to take off, it doesn’t manage to make us passionate about a story that aims to make us laugh with an all-English irony, which might not please some. everyone. It is a story that tries to entertain with scenes between the hilarious and the ridiculous, which are not always successful, but it fails in this, just as it fails to conquer minds and hearts despite the textbook narrative devices used. The Gentlemen is an English-style dark comedy that will not keep you glued to the screen, on the contrary, perhaps it will make you choose to change the title after the first episode but if you are looking for a story that flows slowly, if you are passionate about English humor, if you feel like to follow a story of good people who give in to the charm of evil, of dirty money, underworld, fights between criminal gangs opposed to the English upper class, then give it a chance.
Like so much contemporary storytelling, The Gentlemen is also a bildungsroman. Out of time, one might say, because the protagonist, the impassive, granitic, and, at least at the beginning, intact Theo James (the Divergent saga, The White Lotus series), is of a certain age and should have decided from a piece what to do with yourself. But no; the unexpected inheritance is a sort of existential tonic for his life, very well-behaved but also a little musty. For Eddie, it’s about finally finding the right path, defining more precisely an identity that had until then been opaque and elusive. The ironic observation, which starts from Eddie, a criminal who is increasingly at ease as the story progresses, but also extends to his over-the-top family, is that this British aristocracy, moldy and pompous, between a five o’clock tea and the other knows how to navigate the criminal underworld well.
On the other hand, it’s always a question of contrasts in Guy Ritchie’s cinema (and serials). The Gentlemen doesn’t even try to be anything different. Cinema and seriality can be clear flavors or cocktails; the English author’s taste has always gone in the direction of the latter. The Netflix series is yet another variation on a consolidated theme – a dash of genre and an irreverent humorous inspiration – and in fact, you can feel the author’s steady hand on the series. Ritchie knows how to do it, to mix the ingredients, to keep his foot in both stirrups without compromising himself, bringing out the best in each genre, and without watering down the discussion. The Gentlemen has superbly crafted entertainment; fast, diabolically funny, irreverent but never (too) over the top, more than capable of intertwining the private and professional torments of the characters, modern in the use of small expedients that facilitate the viewer’s understanding, as in the case of the graphics that intervene to clarify, often ironically, the pages that deserve special attention.
Beyond the surface and the genre mix, a nonconformist fire is missing under the skin of the story; The packaging is spectacular and for this reason, it would have deserved a different thickness. Not bad, if you consider the premises, the frenetic and carefree entertainment. The best thing about The Gentlemen is Kaya Scodelario. She intelligently uses the diktats of the story and incorporates them creatively into “her” Susie. Glacial like any self-respecting great criminal mind, is inhabited by an actress who knows how to work on the wrinkles of the story (and the character) to balance the action and violence with the healthy humor that puts things right. Some directors have an unmistakable style, so much so that they are recognizable from the first shot. Guy Ritchie is just one of these. His way of directing is characterized by a certain aesthetic taste for the image, especially the one in action constructed between a deliberate alternation of slow and fast. As the two films about Sherlock Holmes clearly show.
At the same time, then, it uses a mix of genres, settings, and tones which should have the task of giving even greater rhythm to the narrative. For this reason, it is easy to find scenes of violence and criminal settings enriched by that undeniable and irreverent sense of humor typical of British nature. In essence, a large set of apparently discordant elements which, once passed through his hands, manage to find a natural harmony. These are all aspects that can also be found in The Gentlemen highlighted to the nth degree thanks to the narrative length of a serial product but, for the same reason, also diluted and, perhaps, less impactful. At least in the long run. Despite everything, therefore, the world of the British underworld, defined by a clear Cockney accent but certainly not without style, gains the spotlight. Each character is studied by Ritchie with great attention, starting from its most bizarre aspects. These antiheroes do not belong to any type of universe other than the director’s narrative one.
For this reason, they move through choices and methods that are absolutely over the top, they have stage names and each shows a completely personal fashion potential. In this way, therefore, we arrive at a strong characterization capable of making the story and the viewing experience itself unusual, peculiar, and unique. Even if the starting material is not exactly innovative. For a director dedicated to forging the form of the narrative and its characters also through aesthetics, the image that is conveyed is absolutely important. Also in this case, therefore, Ritchie takes inspiration from pop culture to define the look dressed by his categorically “British” cast and the settings. A result that he obtains by delving into the peculiar English reality in which the bourgeoisie and nobility contaminate each other daily, in which it is possible to move between the urban undergrowth and the noble estates of a bygone world. A mix of colors, settings, and sounds creates a completely original style like a tailored suit born from the innovative imagination of Vestwood but made with traditional Burberry fabrics.
All this, then, is perfectly combined with the choice of having his protagonists wear tailor-made suits complete with matching cufflinks of noble origin. Because it’s okay to find yourself entangled in a rather unpleasant situation, but it’s always good not to lose your innate elegance. The only flaw in this obsessive attention to detail, however, is the risk of getting lost in an overly careful and defined search. An aspect that inevitably also affects the narrative. Ritchie is a director so focused on the definition and management of his characters that he risks excessive narrative prolongation to give them all the space they need. This is an aspect that can be noted within the series, especially with the evolution of the story, and which characterizes, in some moments, a decline in the narrative rhythm. Despite this, however, the series represents not only the full return of a director who for some time had been unable to find his tone but, above all, a complete and absolute immersion in his world. This is why The Gentlemen is an experience that should not be missed by those who love the Ritchie touch.
The Gentlemen Series Review: The Last Words
Guy Ritchie has returned to directing and has done so with a TV series that is the result of his taste and artistic experience built up to this point. This means that The Gentlemen is a uniquely shaped, fast-paced experience and, above all, endowed with that love of style that characterizes Ritchie’s vision. The only flaw, probably, is a narrative that is perhaps too detailed and lengthy which impoverishes the initial impact and dynamism. Fun, full of plot, twists and action, The Gentlemen remains faithful to Ritchie’s distinctive style. Sometimes the series exaggerates by inserting too many elements that lose the thread of concreteness and cause disappointment and frustration, however everything is packaged so well that it is impossible not to stay glued to the screen. The wonderful cast that populates every single frame is just the icing on the cake that will push you to urgently look for a second season.
The Gentlemen Series Review: Endowed With That Love of Style That Characterizes Ritchie's Vision - Filmyhype
Director: Guy Richie
Date Created: 2024-03-07 14:58
3.5
Pros
- Wonderful cast, from the main characters to the secondary ones
- Fun, action-packed and well-paced
- The story is intriguing and full of subplots...
Cons
- ...this also causes some confusion when watching
- Some events happen without concrete solutions just as fillers
- The protagonist deserves better characterization
