Brilliantly structured and Acerbically Intelligent...

Probably my favorite Guy Ritchie film to date, just in terms of being grounded, making sense, and having a lot of tension and drama ballooned out of naturally occurring circumstances made worse by greedy/selfish/conniving people.

I've always held fast to a very basic principle: never get greedy.

I find that many of life's most egregious challenges spawn from a circumstance hewn out of greed.

I was originally expecting Matthew's character to be a lot more unhinged and violent, as it was teased in the trailers. However, he was a smart businessman who mostly understood the rules of the jungle and wanted to stay in, and get out, playing safely by those rules.

I felt this was a much better characterization than the convoluted and oftentimes underwhelming unfolding of Matthew Vaughn's Layer Cake, which was very similar in a way.

The Gentlemen did -- in many ways -- live up to its title, as Matthew's Michael was, for all intents and purposes, a gentlemen in the way he did business just until you crossed him.

Foregoing the typically dour ending most of these crime dramas are known to encompass, it made me appreciate this film so much more. It could have gone a number of ways south, but Ritchie kept the script tight and the outcomes both believable and grounded.

I'm also glad he avoided repeating the almost tired trope of having all the villains meet at the end in a big shootout/showdown, which hasn't been done right or as engaging since True Romance (and not Quentin Tarantino's cut).

The crass dialogue from true men, and the fact that the film didn't pansy around with any Liberal Progressive nonsense made it that much more worthwhile. I'm glad I finally got around to watching this flick because it was entertaining from start to finish, and Hugh Grant was perfectly cast as the slimy reporter looking for a quick payday after backstabbing everyone in his path.

What a brilliantly structured and acerbically intelligent film that doesn't take its audience for granted. I'm no Guy Ritchie fan, but I thoroughly enjoyed this film.