Shane Black directs Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling and Angourie Rice in this Seventies set buddy action comedy.

If you are fan of Shane Black then it is all here for you; mismatched salty banter, jaded heroes in way over their heads, precocious kid who throws herself enthusiastically into the mix, colourful henchmen better developed in a few moments than most other movies’ protagonists, neo-noir plots so convoluted you’ll probably only get your head fully around it by the fourth viewing, jokes that come so thick and fast that there’ll be fresh stuff to laugh at by the fortieth. Only Christmas is given short shrift and these days the boobies and oft murdered girls seem as dated as the well realised period setting. It is fair to say The Nice Guys is at least three parts comedy, one part action. The violence when it happens is more of the silent movie pratfall variety rather than the threat filled martial art / shoot out perfection Black delivered in his scripts for Lethal Weapon or The Last Boy Scout. This is down as much to Gosling who shows a genuine knack for playing the idiot and comic physicality. A foul mouthed detective goof who owes as much to Stan Laurel as say a Samuel L Jackon, and the results are great. Crowe is filling out to become a new Robert Mitchum as he ages and spreads. He’s always been a favourite of mine on screen and this outing adds a lighter, more colourful shade to the star’s action repertoire, pistol whippings and stranglings aside. The Nice Guys is easily the funniest film of the year, it hits its action comedy buttons with expert precision. It might be nothing new but recipe is made crisp and the experiment to dial back the carnage a little rarely disappoints.

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