Comic book sleuths dice with death in ‘retro’ romp

The Nice Guys (15A)

We’re back in the 70s for a Starsky ’n’ Hutch-style extravaganza featuring a pair of private eyes on the hunt for a missing girl called Amelia. It’s Dashiell Hammett on helium as black comedy combines with slapstick violence for a trek through LA’s demi-monde.

In these types of formula films – and this is nothing if not that – one of the gumshoes has to be clumsy (that would be Ryan Gosling) and the other more clinically ruthless (the ponderously-voiced Russell Crowe).

Rule No.2 is that they show little or no respect for life. And, wherever possible, make some smart quip over a dead or dying villain.

The Nice Guys ticks all these boxes and a few more. Our dynamic duo endure the kind of pain that would make them paralysed for life if this were the real world. In movie-land, on the contrary, they bounce back the following day for more murder and mayhem like cartoon characters.

Cars plough their way willy-nilly through houses. Ridiculous coincidences are the order of the day. Gosling goes swimming with mermaids. Baddies shoot at people as soon as look at them – and even goodies too.

Amelia (Margaret Qualley) shows a propensity for running into the eye of the storm before her nine lives run out. Gosling’s daughter is played by Angourie Rice (the new Cybill Shepherd?) and reminds us of Alison Lohman from Matchstick Men. Kim Basinger, still looking doll-like at 63, is the face of corporate greed and one-dimensional corruption. 

It’s all wrapped up in Tarantino-shaped ribbons with a script that’s too clever by three-quarters and 1001 set-pieces culled from any number of like-minded vehicles, in particular Lethal Weapon and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It’s directed by Shane Black, who penned both of those movies. 

A boor

I found Gosling more likeable than Crowe but that’s not saying much as I find this man to be a boor and a bore. I watched him promoting the film with Gosling on The Graham Norton Show recently and as ever he hogged the limelight, more or less elbowing the more gentlemanly Gosling out of the way at every turn.

A lot of money was spent on it but no doubt it will make it back in spades. A sequel is even mooted in the final minutes. It’s one of those ‘put your brains under the seat and stock up on the popcorn’ types of offerings.

Gosling is a serious actor. It would be sad to see him descending to the mainstream pit characterised by yellow pack vehicles like this. With a slight push upwards he could become another Edward Norton but when you’re working for the Yankee dollar other concerns impinge. Let’s hope he doesn’t sell out. 

The 15A cert is for sexual content and gratuitous violence.

Fair: **