Director Guy Ritchie brings his beloved 2019 film and all his signature trademarks to the small screen for a new crime story in The Gentlemen. With heavy thematic ties to the original film, this brand new narrative follows Eddie (Theo James) and his attempt to protect his family and his newly inherited estate from the criminal empire operating on his doorstep.
When The Gentlemen kicks off, it’s immediately clear that this is a Guy Ritchie creation. The visual and narrative choices are ripped straight from his guidebook, reintroducing us to a world that’s fun, quirky, gritty and entertaining. It’s rooted in reality enough to be believable, but also ridiculous enough to let you shut off your brain. The story setup in the first few episodes is good, but it’s not quite as polished as in the film. It has a bit of a “been there, done that” feel to it in reference to other crime stories, which had me a little concerned. Despite that, it’s still an engaging start thanks to how it teases lots of potential drama to come. Thankfully, those teases pay off as the series gets better and better with each episode – the clever writing keeps you on your toes and takes unexpected turns aplenty. Guy Ritchie subverts expectations by taking the story in a fresh direction just when you think you know where it’s going. Some of those pivots feel more natural than others, but they lead to a story that get increasingly thrilling with every second.
Part of why the series gets better as it progresses is due to the pace and the way it builds mass amounts of tension. Unlike the 2019 film, which ran at a blistering pace, this series slows things down, taking its time to establish the large ensemble of characters in this criminal underworld. It still moves along with purpose, but lets the episodes breathe at the same time. Each episode introduces new figures and criminal threats, all feeding into the core story, and the writers allocate a good amount of time to familiarising us with their role in the world. I much prefer this pace to the speedy one in the film as it’s more fun to digest, especially over multiple episodes. Speaking more on the tension. In the first few episodes there’s a little bit of tension present, but not enough to really lock me in. That tension exponentially increases with every twist, complication and blindside to the point where I couldn’t do anything besides hit ‘next episode’. It keeps you on your toes as it leads into the penultimate episode and finale, boasting some brilliant writing and clever character moments that make the journey all the more worth it.
The series has struck a good balance of serious crime drama with a comedic twang weaved in. The deadpan comedy is delivered well from the extended cast, namely the leads in Theo James and Kaya Scodelario. Their chemistry is one of the biggest highlights of the series, selling us on their love/hate relationship and getting us on board with their characters. Any scene in which they’re interacting is a gem to watch – their conflicting personalities and warring morals make for a thrilling dynamic. The writers clearly know thos as they lean into it every chance they get. Almost as good as the leads are the revolving cast of criminals that line each episode. With big names like Giancarlo Esposito, they breathe fresh air into an already diverse cast of characters. I have to also give credit to Daniel Ings for his performance as Freddy, and to the writers for their handling of the character. Freddy is a frustrating character from scene one, and it seemed like the series was going to rely on his antics as the cause of conflict for each episode. Thankfully they don’t, and Freddy is given a bit more to do than just being the menace of the family… although he does fuck up a lot.
In the end, The Gentlemen makes a great transition from film to TV, capitalising on the medium to deliver a drama-packed 8-episode run. In drawing out the snappy pace of the film, Guy Ritchie has successfully enveloped this series in a veil of tension that makes for gripping TV. Theo James and Kaya Scodelario carry every episode with a touch of class, delivering a duo of performances that are endlessly entertaining. If you’re a fan of the 2019 film, you’re bound to love this next entry, and even if you’re not, this series different enough to potentially make a fan out of you.
8.1/10
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