The Nice Guys
2016 · Directed by Shane Black
Original language: English
- comedy
- crime
- action
The story
A private eye investigates the apparent suicide of a fading porn star in 1970s Los Angeles and uncovers a conspiracy.
What it’s like
Warm, sun-bleached 1970s Los Angeles: hazy smog-orange sunsets, pastel-drenched interiors, shag carpet and wood-panelled rooms, and the glossy sheen of a Cadillac cruising Sunset under a bright, slightly sickly sky. Director Shane Black frames his scenes with bustling cross-blocking and quick, sharp cuts, and the score leans on a jaunty funk-and-jazz groove that keeps the mood loose even when bodies start turning up. The vibe is scruffy, sardonic and cheerfully unhinged, the kind of movie that feels like a rainy-afternoon double feature on a comfy couch. Pacing is brisk and talky, with banter doing as much work as the chases, and the central pairing of a hungover, bumbling private eye and a stoic enforcer gradually settles into a grudging, affectionate partnership, with a teenage girl often pulling them back toward competence. Violence is frequent and comic-slapstick in register, with some brief but real gunfire and a few bloody moments, plus strong language, drinking, and crude sex jokes; nothing lingers in a gruesome way. It suits fans of irreverent buddy comedies and noir pastiche who want a fun, funny mystery without bleakness.
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