The Gentlemen
Inspired by his 2019 film of the same name, Guy Ritchie brings the world of The Gentlemen to the small screen in an action-packed and riotous Netflix series that drips with the filmmaker’s style. Instead of following the exploits of drug dealer Mickey Pearson, this show centres around a new collection of equally wild and eccentric characters from the upper echelons of British society.
The show opens with Edward (Theo James) returning to his extravagant family manor after hearing the news that his father is on his deathbed. Moreover, he discovers that his father left everything to him instead of his older brother Freddy (Daniel Ings). Not only does Freddy handle the loss of the inheritance poorly, but he soon reveals that he owes Liverpudlian gangsters £8 million in debt and pleads for his brother’s help in raising the funds. Enter the sharply dressed Susie Glass (Kaya Scodelario), a business associate of Eddie’s father who runs a large cannabis operation under his home. The pair work together to recoup the money, with each step taking Eddie further into the criminal underworld.
The opening episodes of the show are tightly paced, introducing viewers to the ensemble of characters and a handful of plot threads without wasting a second of screen time. The dialogue and direction are as slick and stylish as any of Ritchie’s movies, with the same flavour of gritty humour likewise injected into the script. Alongside the engaging plot and flashy violence, the main appeal of this series is the colourful characters whom viewers will be spending their time with.
Much like the director’s other works, the key players are exaggerated caricatures with their own idiosyncrasies. James, Ings and Scodelario fully lean into their roles and give wonderful performances, with Ray Winston and Giancarlo Esposito rounding out the incredible cast. Better yet, the episodic format gives Ritchie more time to play with this interesting and strange band of gangsters and aristocrats, and he makes the most out of every gleeful second of it.
Bursting with Ritchie’s bombastic flair, fans of the filmmaker’s other gangster outings will undoubtedly revel in what he’s created for the small screen. The excellent cast does a fantastic job in bringing his oddball characters to life, with the extra running time enabling Ritchie, and us, to have even more fun with them.
Andrew Murray
The Gentlemen is released on Netflix on 7th March 2024.
Watch the trailer for The Gentlemen here:
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