The Nice Guys (2016)

As far as films like The Nice Guys (2016) go, you can't do much worse in a summer packed full of even more sequels and unimaginative reboots then ever thought possible (although I'm sure 2017 and on will wear us down just as much). I don't know if it's fair to say "They don't make them like this anymore," but The Nice Guys has a sort of easy enjoyability that doesn't insult your intelligence too much and is an all around good time.

Set in 1970s Los Angeles, the film follows two private eyes, Jackson (Russell Crowe) and Holland (Ryan Gosling), who cross paths while investigating the same missing girl. What seems like a fairly open-and-shut case spirals out of control as a conspiracy plot is unveiled that leads high up in ranking officials.

The film is written and directed by Shane Black, best known for writing the Lethal Weapon series and directing Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005) and Iron Man 3 (2013). Like most of those other films, the plot involves two guys, one a loose canon/alcoholic, the other a "trained professional." To say the man has a pattern is an understatement, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And he does it mighty well.

But certain issues still pervade this film; for one, almost all the female characters exist in the porn industry, accept Holland's daughter Holly (Angourie Rice), a spunky little pistol of her own right who doesn't listen to her dad and tags along. There is also a certain disregard for casualties that abound in the movie; while most of the central characters stay alive, many bystanders who have little to no bearing on the plot meet untimely ends.

Which I guess is fine; mass casualties are kind of a stock-in-trade for films like this. But the film makes a big deal out of one major character's redemption near the end by convincing him killing is wrong, which I would buy if maybe the person spared hadn't just caused several other deaths. It's a bit backwards for the film to decide mercy is the way when for so long people are just mowed down in the background for no cause.

Crowe and Gosling make a fun combo, and the well-rounded supporting cast include Matt Bomer, Keith David, and Kim Basinger (fascinating to see Crowe and Basinger reunited in a LA period piece nearly two decades after the superb L.A. Confidential (1997)). Really, there's not much to say other than the movie is fairly enjoyable and will hold your interest for its near two-hour running time. Sometimes, in a summer full of mediocrity, that's just enough.