The Gentlemen Series Review: Despite its flaws the show ends up being a Guy Ritchie extravaganza

Guy Ritchie’s spin-off series proves to be a success. Unnecessarily long-drawn in parts and perhaps too slick for its own good, but on the whole, its clown car of characters attached to a wealthy aristocratic family/estate in transition is one that holds your interest. Ritchie’s penchant for the eccentric, the oddball and the darkly comical is on full display, with his signature style rarely missing a beat. Even after all these years it’s hard not to bring up Lock, Stock and Snatch. The spin-off could well have been a miniseries with half the runtime and more attention paid to certain characters, comedic or enigmatic, as the case may be. And yet, shades of those early films are unmistakable.

Creator – Guy Ritchie

Cast – Theo James, Kaya Scodelario, Daniel Ings, Giancarlo Esposito, Joely Richardson, Vinnie Jones

Streaming On – Netflix

Vinnie Jones may portray a seemingly minor character as the eternal groundskeeper Geoff but all the goings-on at Halstead Manor never escape his keen eye. His undying loyalty to the Halsteads is such that he remains a silent repository of vast and salacious information. The elderly Duke of Halstead has just passed, and his will has thrown things into tumult. As has been the tradition in their family for generations, the charge of the estate passes from father to the oldest son in a typically patriarchal manner embodying the English aristocracy. The second son, Edward “Eddie” Horniman (Theo James), is a man in uniform serving time abroad and has returned before the old man breathes his last. The will and testament state that the manor and title of Duke go to Eddie instead of Fredrick "Freddy" Horniman, the “rightful” heir or the first-born son. Freddy is the antithesis of his brother. Addicted and unstable, he is prone to poor judgement. After some extended theatrics pertaining to the unexpected outcome of the will, he tells Eddie he has debt to the tune of 4 million pounds, minus the ludicrous interest. Eddie is soon introduced to a woman who reveals a sprawling, professionally-run marijuana farm beneath the estate. The immense wealth being generated year upon year makes perfect sense now. The suave, usually-unflappable and quick-witted Eddie has his work cut out. His brother’s precarious predicament, the eviction of an illegal business underneath his home and fending off a prospective American buyer who holds an odd fascination for Halstead Manor aren’t matters to be brushed under the carpet. For all intents and purposes, it appears he has inherited a mountain of crazy.

Ritchie’s strength lies in the writing of his characters. And in a sea so vast, there are some that stand out. The first of those is Susie Glass, the head of a highly organised and profitable marijuana crime syndicate. The inscrutable Miss Glass has a charming menace to her person. She maintains that killing is bad for business but doesn’t bat an eyelid when someone is hacked to pieces in her presence. The only thing sharper than her tongue is her mind. Despite Theo James holding his own here and there, it is Kaya Scodelario’s performance that will be remembered. You don’t know what you’re going to get with Susie, you’re always on edge when she’s around. That unpredictability she exudes is exceptional commitment to her craft. A man by the name of John “The Gospel” Dixon is another brilliant standout. Played by Pearce Quigley, he is the boss of a deeply religious mafia family. In quintessential Ritchian style, this elderly preacher type fellow with flowing locks reads earnestly from the scriptures while snuffing out the lives of those who have crossed him. When his hothead brother, Tommy, goes missing from the Halstead grounds, he pays the brothers a visit. This exchange is one of the funniest of the show. The Gospel’s high-pitched delivery as he “implores” the men to holds hands in prayer (with Freddy squirming from inside) is a hard scene to keep a straight face to. Giancarlo Esposito’s uber rich American buyer bent on acquiring Halstead is every bit the enigmatic man. An apt nod to Breaking Bad, as we are soon to find out that the former intends on using the estate’s endless acreage/connections to expand his Methamphetamine operations. Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone) is supposed to be the master puppeteer but the audience barely gets to see his scheming in real-time. In the long list of eccentric oddballs there’s Chucky, a Pakistani-British man Susie uses as her money launderer. Guz Khan in the role, with his latest big idea rooted in Mexican Corn dogs, is outrageously funny.

It is fair to say some of these aforementioned characters remain too hidden through the narrative. The black comedy, while effective in phases, suffers from too much of the “posh”. The artifice of aristocracy, wealth and influence and the slick talk/manner these entities are often associated with are fine to an extent, but when overused, they get old, and fast. Both Vinnie Jones and Joely Richardson (playing Lady Sabrina Horniman) are heavily under-utilised. There are a handful of heartfelt moments that may go unnoticed for all the actioning taking place. The bond between Lady Horniman and Geoff, Susie’s rare lowering of the guard when it comes to matters involving her boxer-brother, and Eddie’s unstinting loyalty to his wayward older sibling (and family at large) are examples.

The Gentlemen has a lot going on, with all roads leading to Halstead Manor, the proverbial eye of the storm. Aristocratic title and estate he may have inherited, but Eddie’s life is filled with people he’d rather not meet. Criminals of the highest water to fast-talking thugs at the bottom of the food chain, they’re all coming his way. Throw in blackmail, a brother compelled to dance like a chicken for the camera, shady money folk, a talented amateur boxer, powerful fight promoters, high-end car thieves and a travelling population always up for a tussle, and you have yourself a Guy Ritchie extravaganza. It may have been a tad too long and a bit too convoluted for my liking, but there’s no denying that it works fairly well.