What do disco, an alcoholic widowed PI father, the porn industry, a reformed (sort of) leg breaker, catalytic converters, the Justice Ministry, three very off-kilter hired killers, a suicidal porn star and 1977 California have in common? One of the most surreal and fun movies to come down the pike since 2013's Pain and Gain. This movie is alternately cerebral, surreal, funny and quite brutal, sometimes all at the same time.
The story takes place in 1977 LA, at the height of the disco era. Holland March (Ryan Gosling) is investigating the disappearance and suicide of porn star Misty Mountains (3 guesses as to why she has that particular stage name). Holland is a drunk and horrible father to his 14-year-old daughter, Holly (Angourie Rice), who is totally devoted to him and wants to help (and usually does) with his investigations. Incidentally, Rice is the highlight of this film. She steals every scene she is in with a queer mixture of earnest sassiness mixed with doe-eyed naïveté with world-weary experience because of the element her dad associates with. Through a strange twist of fate, leg breaker Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) is working the same case but for a different client who wants the investigation shut down and not come to light. What follows is a bizarre descent into the confluence of porn industry insiders and radical environmentalists. (Don't ask, you have to see it). The movie follows a path more twisted than a snake's back.
Any movie that deals with the porn industry in the late 70s in any depth is going to be bizarre, humorous and surreal. Witness the amazing 1997 Boogie Nights and you'll get an idea of the rabbit hole you're going down. As it was written by Shane Black, responsible for the Lethal Weapon series, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Last Action Hero and The Last Boy Scout and at least one other film that doesn't start with the letter L, one should expect a great actioneer filled with unexpected humor, flawed heroes, beautiful women, grotesque brutality and an absolutely intriguing storyline that you don't know where it will lead. The Nice Guys is no exception. Lest you think I am panning this movie, I absolutely am not. I found it exhilarating and intoxicating in its reveling on the dark side of the street in the gutter. It is absolutely unapologetic in its tone and yet is redemptive in the end. It is a wholly satisfying, adult romp. The only real criticism I have is that it may be a bit too clever for its own good with the plot twists. I will need to see this again, just so I can keep up with it. I think part of the reason for some of the incoherency is that it may have suffered from some post-production editing for time. Other than that, I highly recommend you see this. It is utterly original (a commodity more and more rare in Hollywood) and thoroughly entertaining.
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