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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
Guy Ritchie has been on an interesting run over the last couple of years and has lately gone to Prime Video and Netflix for his recent works, the newest being The Gentlemen. Beginning around 2019 with the release of the Matthew McConaughey-led film of the same name and the live-action Aladdin remake, he has been pumping out films that end up ultimately divisive. The Gentlemen (film) almost immediately became a favorite of Ritchie’s since his Robert Downey Jr.-led Sherlock Holmes films. However, it must be said that watching the film before the series has no bearing on the latter at all.
The Gentlemen (series) is almost a soft reboot of the initial ideals presented in the film. The show does deal with marijuana, (or puff as it’s most commonly called). Ultimately, however, the show feels like an exercise in telling the story of one (of many) of the estates in which the grow farms are located.
Very minor spoilers to follow.
Devolving
The show begins with Captain Edward “Eddie” Horniman (Theo James) receiving news of his father’s passing, and that he must return home for the next steps of their estate. Eddie is reminiscent of characters like Michael Corleone. Similarly, he’s the middle brother, a military service veteran, and comes from an aristocratic family. Upon the reading of the will, Eddie is named sole heir of the estate, much to the dismay of older brother Frederick “Freddy” Horniman (Daniel Ings). He’s granted fifteen thousand acres of land, the title of Duke of Halstead, and ownership of Halstead manor. However, now he must also deal with the weed being grown beneath their greenhouse. In speaking terms of The Godfather, Freddy isn’t necessarily a complete mirror of Fredo, Michael’s older brother. Although again, he does possess similar traits to this character type.
Surprisingly enough, while Freddy and the other characters are redeemed by the end, Eddie is corrupted entirely. His main goal is to get out from under-weed kingpin Robert “Bobby” Glass (Ray Winstone). He almost accomplishes this task too, but the violence and degeneracy of the underworld seem to have grabbed hold of Eddie tight and hasn’t let up. Eddie does a great job at essentially playing the role that his father seems to have nearly failed at, at least according to dialogue during moments between the Horniman family. There are several great moments in the final two episodes where Eddie truly steps in, needing to reassure his family and his undying loyalty and devotion towards them.
Eddie consistently drives the plot toward eliminating the puff empire beneath their land. However, by the final episode, this resolution goes out the door. Not giving away much, Eddie inevitably feeds into the empire, nearly asserting control upon the show’s resolution. Susan “Susie” Glass (Kaya Scodelario), Bobby’s daughter, helps, or even hurts, Eddie’s claims along the way. This particular element was a welcoming departure from the film, which featured different plot narrative devices to keep the plotlines to one central character within the scene. In the Netflix series, Eddie and Susie work almost hand in hand and it helps the show move along quite nicely.
There is almost always chaos going on within the show as well. A subplot from the beginning of the show returns in the final episode that had great potential for a wild shootout. Although, the characters could return in a potential second season. Eddie and a few other characters will sometimes make eye contact with the camera in quick succession after some insanity. This element is great because it’s almost like the characters are preparing the audience for something even wilder next. Ultimately, Eddie fully embraces who he is by the final scene and Theo James plays the role subtly fervent. Other elements—such as Eddie’s costuming, which goes from almost business casual to full suits and ties or polos by the end of the series—present his evolvement into a more “proper” crime lord and how he presents himself.
Parallels
There are a few scenes that mirror The Gentlemen film in the Netflix series. For instance, the strain of marijuana mainly present within the series—White Widow Super Cheese—is the same as in the film. The title sequence is also similar. The family meetings in their veranda or even near their skeet shooting range mirror the outdoor barbecue scenes between two characters from the film. Arguably, the final episode mirrors the film’s third act in that Eddie accepts his transformation into the series’ Mickey Pearson—McConaughey’s character in the film—, who is a weed kingpin wanting out but stays in at the end. Eddie could be Bobby’s successor in a future continuation of the series.
Final Thoughts on Guy Ritchie’s Netflix Series, The Gentlemen
The Gentlemen isn’t the first Guy Ritchie film to get a television treatment, but it is the first one featuring his involvement. This ultimately is much more helpful for the show rather than anything else. Ritchie created, directed, and co-wrote the first two episodes of the show. The series features the same type of Ritchie comedy but isn’t right in your face about it. Still, the comedy has been as funny as ever.
The entire writing and directing teams of the show are great and the chaos that ensues within each episode is exciting to watch play out. If the show is green-lit for another season, Netflix could have another great series to watch, especially given how much they put out. Additionally, if done similarly, it would be interesting to see Ritchie do this again with another of his films. Ultimately, The Gentlemen is an entertaining run through eight episodes, and more from the show would be fantastic.
4/5 stars.
Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen is now streaming on Netflix!
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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.