The Gentlemen (M18)

Netflix
3 stars

In the 2019 action-comedy film The Gentlemen, director Guy Ritchie created a world of shady drug overlords who grow cannabis in the sprawling estates of aristocratic landlords who need cash to maintain their beautiful homes.

Now, in this Netflix series spin-off of the same name, creator Ritchie returns to the same conceit with new characters.

English actor Theo James stars as Edward, a peacekeeping officer who inherits the estate and title of Duke of Halstead after his father dies. He soon discovers that his father had struck a deal with crime boss Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone) to use the estate as part of an illegal cannabis empire. 

He tries to extract himself from the shady dealings, but finds himself getting pulled further into the spiral of crime and forms an unlikely alliance with Bobby’s daughter Susie (Kaya Scodelario). 

Here are three reasons to tune in.

1. Sizzling central pair

The chemistry between James and Scodelario makes the complicated relationship of Edward and Susie the highlight of the series. 

While a romantic attraction between the two is alluded to, the series smartly steers away from pairing the characters up. The ambiguity adds to the tension between the two, who have opposing interests.

Edward wants to pull his family out of the cannabis business unscathed, while Susie wants to keep him and his estate earning money for the business forever. This means the duo are never fully trusting of each other.

Yet, as outside forces conspire against them, the two often find themselves on the same team. Over time spent tackling sinister crime lords and sorting out the trouble Edward’s elder brother often causes, the two develop a sincere respect for each other. 

This push-and-pull of conflicting feelings make them the most watchable part of the show. 

2. Stylish and comedic action

Chaotic crime capers are a sweet spot of Ritchie’s, who has directed movies such as The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015), and The Gentlemen is right in his wheelhouse.

The series balances the violence of its premise with a comedic touch – a hip-hop number plays as a man in a bizarre chicken suit fatally shoots someone and a tense scene of theft is punctured by the reveal of the perpetrators being sassy teenagers.

Yet, the humour does not tamper the bombastic action sequences. They are stylish and thrilling, even when there are absurd elements to it, such as a grenade blowing up a stash of Hitler’s paintings.

 3. Colourful world of crime

The series has a clear overarching story, but almost every episode is formulaic. Edward and Susie embark on an adventure to solve a problem that crops up in their business. 

While this can be repetitive, it is a good format to show the audience different facets of the colourful world that Ritchie has created, with quirky and interesting characters. 

There is the fishmonger who hides a cocaine operation, the nomadic Romani matriarch who interrupts a drug smuggling discussion to serve everyone tea and biscuits, as well as the crime scene “clean-up” man who takes time to admire a priceless painting before he has to scrub a dead man’s blood off it. 

It is a whimsical take on crime and drug dealing, but it does enrich the lore of the world and endear the dangerous men and women of the story to its viewers.