Critic Reviews

The Gentlemen is the perfect example of improving an already perfectly good movie by expanding on it to tell a new, and even better, story. The Netflix series has all the things that fans of Ritchie could want but also feels accessible to those who aren’t quite familiar with the auteur. It’s bloody, foul-mouthed, fast-paced, and it doesn’t disappoint.

From the picturesque settings and costuming to the use of written on-screen text that helps the audience keep varied deals, people and schemes outlined, the show unfolds like a dazzling web of turmoil, keeping viewers sucked in over its eight episodes. Entertaining — with hijinks, plots and gory violence — “The Gentlemen” irons out the kinks that plagued its film predecessor.

Some of the storytelling turns are either too convenient or too ridiculous. But that’s the beauty, people: Not everything needs to be prestige TV or a smart drama to get it right. Sometimes, it can just be pure distraction, and The Gentlemen is as successful a bit of escapism as they come.

For all those who enjoyed the film, even loved it, there were others who found it too violent, too glib, too high on its own supply. If that's you, then you'll want to stay away from this series. It's Guy Ritchie going full Guy Ritchie, perhaps the most Guy Ritchie he's ever gone before. If that sounds like a bit of you, though, then strap in - it's going to be a truly wild ride.

The show does feel a bit bloated at times, self-indulgent in trademark Ritchie fashion. But the fact that the series comes across as a collection of short stories makes it far more palatable, and fun.

In the moment of viewing, it overrides my instinct to want to criticize the puffery of it all, the flimsy foundation of pure adrenaline, the absence of the artistic impulse to say anything actually meaningful. I just opened a bottle of wine, hit play, and before I knew it, five immensely entertaining episodes had passed.

Like most of Guy Ritchie’s material when he’s in caper and kooky criminals mode, The Gentlemen is a romp. Chippy, funny, stylish, cartoonishly violent, touched with mild absurdity.

The standout performances, though, by some measure, are from Ings and James. Yes, you may at times wish it would stop meandering and dial down the slapstick, and, indeed, that it was two episodes shorter. But the bottom line is that it is entertaining and it will make you laugh.

Filled with style, panache, laughs, and a solid cast putting in the effort, it’s largely one of Ritchie’s best comedic efforts in a while and one that wryly suggests barons and burglars are often just different sides of the same coin, inherited, appropriated or otherwise.

There are times when “The Gentlemen” wanders off into the woods and we get a little impatient waiting for the gears to grind again, but thanks in large part to the sharp writing and the stellar performances from Theo James and Kaya Scodelario and the entire ensemble, this is a worthy addition to the Guy Ritchie library of stylish and violent crime thrillers.