1977, Los Angeles. Private Detective Holland March (Ryan Gosling) and thug for hire Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) form an unlikely partnership when they find themselves investigating the death of a pornographic actress and a missing girl.
The film opens with Porn Star Misty Mountains’ (Murielle Telio) car careering off the road and crashing through a home seemingly to her death. However her aunt still believes she is alive after a sighting and hires Holland to investigate. But when Holland starts looking for a woman named Amelia (Margaret Qualley) as part of his investigation she pays Jackson to scare him off. Jackson promptly breaks Holland’s arm before he himself is threatened by two hired goons (Keith David and Beau Knapp) trying to find Amelia. So Jackson decides to team up with a now reluctant Holland to work out why everyone wants to find Amelia and her connection with Misty Mountains. From here, just like a true detective noir story should the plot thickens and includes the pornography industry and the Big Three in the motor industry.
But whilst the mystery is both labyrinthine and coincidental as a good noir movie should be, the relationship between the lead characters is comedic in a way that mimics the physical comedies of Laurel and Hardy or The Marx Brothers. Holland and Jackson bicker and fight continually jousting with their words, whilst Holland pratfalls and stumbles as Jackson looks on disapprovingly. Very much in the image of a true gumshoe Laurel and Hardy pair.
All of this makes sense when we know that Shane Black is the creative mind behind the film. As director and co-writer (with Anthony Bargarozzi) The Nice Guys is a film with all of his calling cards. Black, best known now for Iron Man 3, started his career writing some of the most famous bickering double acts on film with Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout. Whilst arguably one of his most accomplished movies is the brilliant Kiss Kiss Bang Bang which happens to be another noir movie set in LA featuring a private detective who bickers with an unlikely partner when they are thrust together on a murder case. A double bill of The Nice Guys and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang would be a fantastic experience, perhaps one that could be placed alongside a double bill of The Long Goodbye and The Big Sleep. Both of course based on Raymond Chandler novels which seem to form the inspiration for Black’s private eye detective stories set in LA.
Ultimately The Nice Guys is phenomenally good for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, it is hilarious. Gosling really taps into a fantastic array of physical comedy. Whilst the chemistry between him and Crowe in both the verbal jousting and physical humour scenes is impressive. There are so many moments I could allude to here but the two that probably sum it up is their confrontation in the toilet of a bowling alley when they are not yet partners and the scene in an elevator when they have finally found a way to work together. Secondly, the underlying mystery is the right blend of obscure, exciting and funny. Reminiscent of The Big Lebowski, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Inherent Vice. Finally, the other aspect that I think really sells it and makes you connect is that both characters have a history and a life that is explained to you via their interactions with each other and other characters. Some of those moments are poignant such as Holland’s daughter Holly (Angourie Rice) visiting the plot their home used to be on before it burnt down, whilst some of them are hilarious such as Jackson’s flashback to his partner dumping him.
A wonderful feature that really deserved a sequel where we saw The Nice Guys Detective Agency at work.
As I did with another recent review, here is my original hand written piece when I saw this film for the first time on 26th May 2016…
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