‘The Gentlemen’ (2024) Netflix Series Review - Guy Ritchie’s Crime Comedy is Tedious

The new Netflix series from Guy Ritchie, The Gentlemen, is a spin-off of Ritchie's 2019 film of the same name. I don't remember anything about that movie. I even forgot it exists. Well, not everything. There is one thing I do remember about the 2019 film: The Henry Golding character's rape attempt. This scene managed to stay in my memory because it felt like a mistake - a weird miscalculation that left a bad taste in my mouth. As far as the rest of the film is concerned, it's safe to say it left my head as soon as the end credits stopped rolling.

This new series, too, could have been similarly utterly unmemorable. But the actors have such a solid presence that most of their scenes could probably end up sticking in my head for a long time. They are not exactly exceptional, and you can blame Ritchie for that. He merely uses them for a very narrow purpose: Regurgitating the words of the script - a task they do with some dramatic force, with too much competence. I hope The Gentlemen opens more doors for Kaya Scodelario. She deserves a director, a material that can utilize her full potential. I would like to see her in more shows and films.

In The Gentlemen, Ritchie unabashedly converts his characters into puppets. He doesn't hide his intentions or think of selling you something deep or complex. If only such self-assurance had given rise to a stunning production. The problem with blank characters is that they lose our attention after a while. Filmmakers can indulge in stylistic or experimental pleasures through them, but all this is best suited for something ephemeral (how about a short film? Or maybe a 90-minute feature?). When the series finally ends, you are left with the same thought you get after completing most shows nowadays - "This could have been a film!"

Eddie (Theo James) is a smart guy. Susie (Scodelario) is an expert at supporting Eddie's goals and cleaning up all the mess. Freddy (Daniel Ings) and Jimmy (Michael Vu) are dumb comic reliefs, and Giancarlo Esposito steps into the shoes of a unidimensional villain. Everyone here comes with a one-line description, and they don't go under any significant change either. As mentioned earlier, Ritchie isn't after a complicated character study or heavy emotional drama. He is all gloss, all fun. His idea of fun is to hit the viewers with fancy editing and twists. Among these two elements, the latter turns out to be sorely predictable. Couldn't Ritchie have applied his skills to something less generic, less tedious?

The Gentlemen indeed leaves you exhausted. It's quite similar to many other chintzy Netflix Originals. What separates it from those other lazy disasters is its editing, which often moves the scene forward and then returns to a former moment to show us precisely what happened. As soon as the characters come close to pulling the trigger, we cut to the next scene where someone narrates the incident to someone else, and the series, through brief images, shows us how the event unfolded. Ritchie, like an excellent mechanic, smoothly puts his machine in motion. Everything moves with precision. Nonetheless, this doesn't cover up the fact that this smoothness and precision turn The Gentlemen into a monotonous experience. The beats remain the same. The line on this graph is mostly straight. There is a lack of intrigue, humor, and fascinating surprises.

A man is forced to wear a costume and is told to behave like a chicken. The 8th Lord Bassington - almost naked - dies due to a heart attack. A Nazi has Hitler's balls in a jar. Moments like these are meant to be amusing and eccentric but are rendered flat. The execution is not up to the mark. You observe these scenes without responding to them in any manner. Ritchie fails to add excitement to the events. He makes everything look like a chore. There is some minor intrigue about who in Eddie's team could be the mole. A boxing match, along with a conversation between Susie and a man, near the end of the sixth episode gives rise to some exciting rhythm. Since all these characters are criminals, they always remain suspicious of each other. When Susie reveals the details about someone's murder, you see the moment as the equivalent of those bad decisions the characters in a love story take to create complications instead of having a face-to-face chat to sort out misconceptions.

Still, The Gentlemen overall is intensely ineffectual. Ritchie should have just made another film because the series looks like a 1 hour and 40 minutes or something long film stretched to almost eight dull hours. Perhaps some of that weed the characters manufacture and sell could help you sit through this mind-numbing crime comedy like a gentleman.

Final Score- [4.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times