THE GENTLEMEN

“Gentleness” is absent in director Guy Ritchie’s slick, schtick caper with veteran actors having the time of their lives: Matthew McConaughey, “Mickey Pearson” an American drug kingpin in London, a role he can perform on auto pilot, wants to sell his underground greenhouse to the highest bidder, erecting a conflict between “Dry Eye” (Henry Golding) and “Matthew” (Jeremy Strong); Michelle Dockery,  Mickey’s wife “Roz” manipulates her sophisticated cool, lethally.

The circuitous, egregiously gory route, of a not-so-simple, stale sting is saved from exsanguination by two performances: Hugh Grant’s, investigator reporter “Fletcher” with slimy elan spins his gimmicky, outlandish blackmail scheme  to “Ray” (Charlie Hunnam) Mickey’s bodyguard, consigliere; Grant, whose stardom teeter-tottered until his recent depiction of Jeremy Thorpe in Netflix’s “A Very English Scandal”; his versatility has blossomed beyond expected assumptions.

Any comedic moments in “The Gentlemen” were proffered by Colin Farrell, “Coach”; the camera savors his every nuance, grimace; ironically, his “gentility” seeps into his incredulous antics, tempering, with humor, punitive poppycock.

“The Gentlemen”  reminiscent of a James Patterson novel, has the feel of a weekend project, commencing Friday evening, and in rehearsals Monday morning.

TWO & 1/2  STARS!!

Peneflix