Los Angeles, 1977: A time where the kids are more grown-up than they have any right to be and a period in which the porn industry was thriving, and when one such porn star called Misty Mountains (Murielle Telio) is found dead by a young boy (Ty Simpkins in what I assume is a nod to Black's previous film Iron Man 3) no one really bats an eyelid. But when her aunt hires private investigator Holland March (Gosling) to look for her niece, whom she believes she saw days after her presumed death, he has an unfortunate encounter with enforcer Jackson Healy (Crowe) – hired by a young girl called Amelia (Margaret Qualley) who believes March to be a stalker – and is urged against pursuing the mystery any further. That is until Healy comes across two other enforcers under the names Blue Face and Older Guy (Beau Knapp & Keith David respectively) who are looking for Amelia themselves. With seemingly a larger mystery on their hands, Healy and March – and with the help of Holland's judgemental daughter Holly (played by Angourie Rice) – must unwillingly team up to find Amelia before anyone else is harmed; delving deeper into the world of porn with a secret conspiracy on their hands.
With numerous murders counteracted with incredibly hilarious dialogue across its 115-minute runtime, Shane Black and co-writer Anthony Bagarozzi present a riveting story filled with twists and turns that, while a little reliant on deus ex machinas, makes for a fully engaging experience. The mystery itself, which passes through a standard missing girl case to the conspiracy behind a particular type of movie ("You made a porn movie in which the point was the plot?" questions March at one point) rarely stalls outside the mandatory – but still entertaining – gunfights and fisticuffs, but what makes the whole experience shine is with the constant comedy. The film repeatedly makes you laugh despite recurring comedy factors such as basic slapstick and imaginary creatures (thankfully not a by-product of an 'accidently on drugs' sequence akin to 21 Jump Street) by making it feel unique in its own nuanced ways. Plus, the characters themselves are delightful to be with.
The titular Nice Guys that we follow are either going to be the biggest draw people will have for the film or the biggest drawback – both Crowe and Gosling aren't exactly known for their audience followings bar their biggest hits (Gladiator for Crow; The Notebook for Gosling) - and if it's the latter case then they're missing out on something stellar. The duo have excellent chemistry with one another and bounce off each other with absolute ease; complementing each other's personalities and adding something the other doesn't have to ensure they cover all areas. If one were to pick which was the most likeable, the trophy would go to Gosling solely for how incompetent March is, but Crowe's Healy is the tough nut who occasionally shows a little of his inner kernel. But oddly enough, it's March's daughter Holly who steals the show. Rice is undoubtedly the heart of the piece, with an eye for straight-faced comedy (absolutely selling her lack of faith in father Gosling) but showing actual case for others when the script demands her to. As far as newbie child actors go, she's one of the best of the year so far.
Within the world that these three reside in, their murderous counterparts Keith David and Beau Knapp make for solid opposites. Knapp is perhaps just a little too insane in his performance, but David counteracts that with his straight-faced knack for the bigger action beats. Likewise, Matt Bomer as John Boy makes for an interesting antagonist as the film reaches its end, while missing girl Margaret Qualley is a fine character in her own right... at least, for someone who's a teenager rebelling against the system. Mother Kim Bassinger has a minor role but a substantial performance as the film draws to a close, as does assistant Yaya DaCosta, while presumably-dead porn star Murielle Telio is good enough in what's essentially a small role. Jack Kilmer's slacker is one of those charming idiots that films tend to squander, and finally Lois Smith as the one who starts the whole affair is a mix of dotting and delightful.
While there may not be anything amazing about the cinematography present, Shane Black does at least offer some solid direction for his feature; blended together excellently with the 70s aesthetics of set dressing and costume design to create a world that's entirely feasible (and probably was; this is the 70s after all). For a film that feels most like him, Black well and truly knocks it out of the park.
Filled with rich dialogue and constant laughs, The Nice Guys succeeds massively with its balance of comedy and mystery to create a set of characters that'll remain memorable for a long time. Its main batch of actors are clearly having an absolute blast; its main story filled with twists and turns that aren't entirely predictable, but anyone hoping for more than what the trailers suggest may be a little disappointed. This is Shane Black at his finest, but his finest is likely not a type of film that mainstream audiences will be interested in. An amusingly ambiguous adventure. 8/10.
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