The Gentlemen & The Lodge - Double Feature

Since both of these movies have been out for well over a week, I will do a quick review of each.

The Gentlemen – 9/10 – Opening Day (See ASAP)

Holy shit. I expected a lot from a Guy Ritchie crime flick, but this still exceeded my expectations. This movie is bundle of fun and absolutely amazing. The characters are entertaining and distinctive, nothing like you would see in other crime movies. Matthew McConaughey is excellent, and so is the studly Charlie Hunnam (a badass dressed like a proper English Gentleman the entire time). Each character is engaging but flawed in their own unique way. The story is complex and layered and reveals itself over time to the viewer. Although it’s not quite his most brilliant plot, I think both Snatch and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels are smarter, The Gentlemen still manages to elevate itself with a enjoyable simplicity that the others sometimes lacked. The real strength of this movie is the writing, and hot damn is it good! There were several times that I was hooting in the theater and could not stop smiling at the insults and witty banter between the characters. Is it believable that gangsters talk like this? Absolutely not, but it is fun to watch.

The story centers on Matthew McConaughey as the kingpin of a massive weed empire who is thinking of retiring. Unfortunately, when you’re “king of the jungle” you can show no weakness - threats immediately pop up to try to undermine his plans. It’s a great story, told in a very exciting manner by a delightfully slimy Hugh Grant. The biggest weaknesses of the film are the hazy intro credits and the fact that the movie opens with a scene and then doubles back to explain the lead up – a trope of which I am not a fan. Despite this you are hooked almost immediately and within 10 minutes you will be laughing your ass off and breathlessly awaiting what will come next. The Gentlemen is not a perfect film, but it’s damn close and features some of the most entertaining lines and insults in a movie in years. Absolutely worth a watch and I urge everyone to go check it out if they can.

9/10 - Opening Day (See as soon as possible)

The Lodge – 6/10 – Rent

What a creepy and atmospheric horror film. The Lodge isn’t your traditional horror movie, and it’s one with very few typical ‘scares’. It is always refreshing to see a horror flick that does not utilize a single jump scare but instead builds the horror through tension and completely unsettling acting. The Lodge is about a woman whose new boyfriend and his two kids from a previous relationship take her to their mountain cabin to spend winter break. The girlfriend has a unique past - as a child she was the sole survivor of a mass suicide cult. But she seems to be good now and just wants to bond with the children of her boyfriend. The dad leaves them there for a few days alone while he heads into the city to finish a work project, and almost immediately the horror begins to unfold. It starts off slow but builds into all out hysteria.

The movie’s strongest feature is the acting. The woman played by Riley Keough is phenomenal, and much of the movie hinges on the subtlety of her performance. The children are also fantastic, and without their skill the movie would be far worse. Ultimately, the movie suffers from not having enough to say. There is a strong undercurrent of religious imagery and themes, but it ends up going nowhere. While the final few moments are absolutely horrific, they really could have used a punch up or two. Instead, The Lodge just sort of ends suddenly and while terrifying – is ultimately unsatisfactory. Overall, it’s still a solid movie. The sense of impending doom and slipping sanity is omnipresent and really sets the viewer on edge. If you’re looking for a slow build in a creepy setting, this might just be the movie for you. It’s winter now; why not see how much colder and creepier winter could be…

6/10 - Rent