Seventies Sleaze Gets the Buddy-Cop Treatment

MOVIE REVIEW
The Nice Guys Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray
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Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Year Released: 2016, Second Sight Films 4K 2025
Runtime: 1h 56m
Director(s): Shane Black
Writer(s): Shane Black, Anthony Bagarozzi
Cast: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Yaya DaCosta, Keith David, Beau Knapp, Lois Smith, Murielle Telio, Gil Gerard, Daisy Tahan
Where to Watch: available June 16, pre-order your copy here: www.secondsightfilms.co.uk

RAVING REVIEW: THE NICE GUYS is the kind of movie that doesn’t just resurrect the buddy-cop formula—it sucker punches it, drags it through a pile of cigarette butts, and shoves it into a polyester leisure suit before sending it to a party nobody remembers leaving. Instead, what could’ve been another throwaway homage to the mismatched-duo genre becomes one of Shane Black’s sharpest works, loaded with acidic wit, crumbling masculinity, and a surprising sense of sadness that makes its chaos feel oddly personal. And that cast! It’s aged like a fine wine, with Crowe and Gosling as leads and a young Angourie Rice and Margaret Qualley. The film knows exactly what it wants to be and is cast perfectly for it.

Set against the smog-choked backdrop of 1977 Los Angeles, the story follows Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe), a bruiser-for-hire who punches first and asks questions later, and Holland March (Ryan Gosling), a private investigator with more neuroses than instincts. Neither is particularly competent at their jobs—March may be one of the worst detectives ever to survive this business—but their failures make them so compelling. When their paths collide during an investigation involving a missing girl, a dead porn star, and a conspiracy that ties everything together in a tangle of political and corporate rot, they form an uneasy partnership that’s as hostile as it is entertaining.

Gosling, who by this point had already proven himself capable of carrying weighty roles, unleashes something entirely different here—a jittery, loud, almost cartoonish energy that walks a tightrope between self-parody and sincerity. March isn’t just bumbling; he’s barely holding it together. Gosling brings physical comedy back to noir with a reckless glee. It’s a risky performance, but he threads it perfectly.

Opposite him, Crowe brings a quiet (most of the time), grounded presence to balance the madness. Healy’s no saint, but there’s a core decency beneath his violence. Crowe plays him like a man who gave up on idealism years ago and now only wants to do small, right things in a big, wrong world. Together, their chemistry never leans too emotional. They don’t become best friends—they tolerate each other, maybe even don’t hate each other by the end—but their evolution is refreshingly non-sentimental. It works because it doesn’t try too hard.

Shane Black’s script does what his best ones always do: the dialogue isn’t just clever—it builds the characters while undercutting their illusions. But unlike some of his earlier work, there’s more melancholy buried beneath here. Black isn’t just mocking the 1970s’ moral decay—he’s almost nostalgic for it. He’s fascinated by the scummy contradictions of the era, from dulled sunsets to kids in situations they should never be in while adults lie, cheat, and kill in boardrooms.

The direction keeps the tension tight and the energy loose. Action sequences are messy but never incoherent. Fights don’t feel like choreographed ballets—they feel like real scuffles between tired men who are just good enough to survive. There’s a looseness to the camerawork that fits the characters: stylish without being slick, retro without winking too hard at the audience.

Rice, playing March’s young daughter Holly, deserves a ton of credit for grounding the film’s emotion. Her character isn’t there to be rescued or sidelined—she’s often the moral compass. Rice brings intelligence and clarity without falling into the “wise-beyond-her-years” trope. Her presence gives March credibility and gives the film a center that doesn’t feel tacked on.

If there’s one knock against THE NICE GUYS, the conspiracy plot—while never uninteresting—feels a little too convoluted for its good. As bodies pile up and secrets unravel, there’s a sense that the story is trying to thread too many needles at once. Some third-act twists feel more like checkboxes being ticked than revelations earned through character work. It doesn’t sink the film, but it occasionally distracts from what’s working best: the characters.

With that said, the movie never loses its tone. It’s consistently funny and surprisingly violent in ways that sneak up on you. One moment you’re laughing at March fumbling with a loaded gun, the next you’re cringing as someone’s throat gets slit without fanfare. The tonal whiplash is intentional and part of what makes the film work.

THE NICE GUYS is more than a retro throwback—it works as a genre comedy that embraces grime and grace equally. It’s stylish, funny, and smart enough to hit harder than expected. It may not reinvent the wheel but it can spin it fast enough to keep things fresh. With its performances, script, and energy, this is a buddy noir that earns its bruises—and my admiration.

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[photo courtesy of SECOND SIGHT FILMS]

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