(2016)
Directed by Shane Black
Written by Shane Black, Anthony Bagarozzi
Starring Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Kim Basinger
IMDB Entry
People know about parody, but not so much about a pastiche. While a parody mocks its subject, a pastiche appreciates it. An example is Galaxy Quest, a pastiche of the Star Trek franchise. Pastiches are unusual in filmmaking, but one great example is The Nice Guys.
Holland March (Ryan Gosling) is a detective who is hired by a woman to find her niece Misty Mountains, a porn star. Misty died in a car crash, but her aunt insists she seen her alive. Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) is hired to stop March, breaking his arm to scare him away and meeting March's teen daughter Holly (Angourie Rice). Healy is threatened by some thugs looking for his client Amelia Kuttner (Margaret Qualley). Healy teams up with March to find Kuttner, who as gone missing and fears she might be in danger. They are joined by March's daughter Holly (Angourie Rice), who likes the thrill of the case and even finds some clues to what's going on.
The movie is a buddy comedy/action film that looks like something out of the 70s. Yes, that's when it's set, but they use graphics of the era and the look of TV shows from back then. It also sticks with a 70s-type sexual openness.
Gosling and Crowe make a great team. March is the brains of the outfit (though he'd not all that smart) while Healy is the muscle. The two have a great rapport and one can easily see this having further sequels if it had been a bigger success.
The script is witty and really works as a setup for a TV series. Director Shane Black has written the first two Lethal Weapon movies, as well as Iron Man 3. Unfortunately, he had some flops and has found it hard to get projects.
Crowe was a major star, though this was during a lull in his career. Gosling kept going strongly, though.