In grimy, seventies LA, two grizzled, down on their luck private detectives find themselves on the hunt for the same young woman; a hunt that will take them deep into the equally corrupt worlds of pornography and politics. It could be the set-up of any hard-boiled pulp detective novel but with Shane Black behind both the typewriter and the camera, The Nice Guys becomes a razor sharp throwback to the buddy comedies of the late 1980s.
Ryan Gosling plays Holland March, a hapless private detective who has been hired by an elderly woman to investigate the death of her niece – a famous porn actress named Misty Mountains. His investigation throws him into the path of professional bruiser Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe), who has been hired to protect a young woman named Amelia (Margaret Qualley). As their cases intercept, Healy and March team up to investigate, helped along by March's young daughter Holly (Angourie Rice).
The caper that follows is hugely and consistently entertaining. The script hits the comedic sweet spot with staggering frequency, as Black keeps the direction as snappy as the dialogue. Moments of slapstick are allowed to play out with just the right timing and the cast are on top form. It's great to see Gosling return to comedy – it's a genre that suits him very well and he throws himself into the physical comedy with an admirable lack of vanity. Crowe meanwhile is playing the kind of role he was made for – Healy is a no-nonsense, lumbering smart arse and Crowe looks like he's having the time of his professional career.
As a buddy comedy, The Nice Guys is undoubtedly a throwback to a genre that we just don't see much of anymore but more significantly, it's a throwback to a time when comedy films could contain a good dollop of silliness and slapstick but were unequivocally made for a grown up audience. For this reason more than any other, the return of Shane Black should be hailed as a triumph. Let's hope we don't have to wait so long the next time.