‘The Nice Guys’ Humorously captivating
BY IANS4 Jun 2016 10:25 PM GMT
IANS4 Jun 2016 10:25 PM GMT
A buddy-film, set in late 1970s, ‘The Nice Guys’ is a smart and funny, caper-comedy. It is a hilarious tale of an unlikely duo who bond over an investigation. The film is a lurid detective tale which starts off with a car driven by Amelia Kuttner (Margaret Qualley), who is a porn-film star known as Misty Mountains. She crashes through a suburban house and is declared dead.
We learn this was no accident when unbeknownst to Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe), a rough private eye, who is often hired to threaten and intimidate individuals, Amelia approaches him to ward off people who are trailing her.
While on this case, one of the first people Healy threatens is Holland March (Ryan Gosling), a greedy and alcoholic private detective.
March was tracking Amelia because he was hired by her ageing aunt, who is convinced that she is still alive. The mystery doubles after Amelia, also an environmental activist had made an experimental film with her boyfriend Dean, who too under mysterious circumstances dies. And soon, everyone it seems, is after Amelia and the ‘experimental’ film she made that includes her mother, Judith Kuttner (Kim Basinger), who is the head of the Department of Justice.
Healy believes that Amelia is in danger. So after breaking March’s arm, he decides to team up with March to solve the mystery of the missing actress. March’s daughter Holly (Angourie Rice) tags along with the duo to balance the scales of the drama.
The tale is indelicate yet attractive and engaging. It is packed with great one-liners, physical comedy and a few really memorable moments which include nudity and violence. The retro vibe, is almost surreal with hallucinogenic feel at times, notably at the porn party filled with contortionists, colour and craziness. These may seem kitschy at times, but they capture the era precisely. Overall, it is fun film to watch.
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