The Nice Guys


2016 action buddy comedy

Rating: 13/20

Plot: Two private detectives team up to solve the mysteries surrounding the death of a porn star.

The rapport between Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling is terrific, and there are a lot of funny moments in this fairly incoherent period piece, but movies like The Big Lebowski and Inherent Vice do it much better. I kept wanting things to settle down a little bit. Character development is sort of there, but it's not nearly enough to distract from general wackiness or action sequences. I actually enjoyed watching this movie because I was never bored, but I wish the story came together a little more coherently. And maybe I needed to be a little bored at times. It would have made the rest of this work that much better.

One odd thing: There were a lot of civilian casualties here. It was a little disconcerting seeing so many nameless or faceless people being shot or injured. More off-putting--the little girl who was in this movie way too much.

Special effects to create late-70's Los Angeles were really good. It was seamless, and they really nailed the mood. I always wonder how they pull that off.

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