Additionally, Angourie Rice (Walking with Dinosaurs 3D) as March’s Daughter, Holly, steals numerous scenes she is in and comes across as a pro working alongside the more seasoned cast. Crowe is totally relaxed as the burly leg-breaker Jackson Healy. They might be screw ups who lack sophistication, but they are mature individuals who understand the gravity of the situation, especially as things get wildly out of control.
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Speaking to Collider, Gosling said: “Russell was really great”. As you can tell from the film’s trailer (watch it above), the premise allows for lots of brutally pounding violence in between the snappy comic lines tossed off mostly by Gosling’s character.
“Did you see this one?” he asks, showing Gosling the phone.
Russell Crowe and Kim Basinger made such a strong connection on L.A. Confidential that it’s remained despite never seeing each other. While Black’s films are always deeply influenced by his appreciation for pulp noir detective fiction, “The Nice Guys”, is one of the purest expressions of Black’s aesthetic, a bloody, hilarious, convoluted mystery that’s as amusing as it’s dark.
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe make for one hell of a detective duo in “The Nice Guys”, a consistently amusing and impressively action-packed comedy costarring (“Magic Mike”), Kim Basinger and relative newcomer Angourie Rice (“Walking with Dinsosaurs 3D”).
Directed by Shane Black from a script he co-wrote with Anthony Bagarozzi, this delightful dive into the seedy world of 1970s Los Angeles has all the hallmarks of a Shane Black production: catchy premise, heightened reality, infinitely quotable dialogue and plot twists galore. Now they’re kickin” it old skool “70s sexy in “The Nice Guys” – a movie that makes even less sense than bell bottoms.
“The Nice Guys” wants to blend the complexity of “Chinatown” with the sleazy charm of “Boogie Nights”.
Since the film contains old-fashioned slapstick, the actors were asked if it was fun to exercise those particular acting muscles, something they don’t often get to do. – ReutersActors Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe (left) arrive at the UK Premiere of Nice Guys at a cinema in central London May 19, 2016. The character is an unexpected presence that adds dimension to the story, and Rice plays her beautifully.
That in and of itself can be forgivable, but the biggest problem is that numerous gags in “The Nice Guys” just aren’t as amusing as one would expect, considering all the talent on display. So, I was thrilled to work with her, and I’m sure she’s going to be the boss of all of us pretty soon. Her (non-romantic) chemistry with Crowe and Gosling is noteworthy.
Before the film is over, nastiness is aimed in all directions – at little old ladies, dumb guys who drink too much at parties and fish innocently swimming in the wrong aquarium. The physical comedy element was a big draw for me. And, although our heroes aren’t always likable and frequently display signs of shocking ineptitude, we find ourselves rooting for them in the end.
After a brief flirtation with superheroes in Iron Man Three, Shane Black is back doing the thing he does better than anyone else, writing and directing deliriously entertaining action comedies about mismatched partners battling an escalating threat.
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This is an example, however, of how it’s possible to blend comedy and action and come up with something that works as both.
