"The Gentlemen" (2024): What Works/What Doesn't
Spoiler: It all works. Best show of 2024.
Synopsis - The Spare is the Heir
Picture a genteel, aristocratic British family living on a rural estate. Remnants of entitled beauty and wealth the likes of the film Saltburn with its disco DJ tunes buzz on repeat in the background. The mood changes. The patriarch is on his deathbed and the children are called home. There’s the obvious heir (the oldest son) who is a lazy nincompoop; the dashing and clever middle son “Spare”; and a younger daughter who is barely in the series and as such gets little airtime.
Turns out there’s a twist and the spare inherits the keys to the kingdom upon his father’s death. That kingdom comes with an inherited Ponzi-like pyramid scheme where in exchange for part of his land, the father made a deal with the devil (definition: crime boss/syndicate) so he could maintain liquidity, and support the growing expenses of his family and their birthright, the estate. So now, Eddie (Theo James), the hot heir must figure out how to rid the estate of the marijuana production site on his land.
This show is the Brits’ response to Succession whose premise also centered around the sheer dysfunction of a privileged family. Mix a little of the darkness of ZeroZeroZero, the ethics of good people doing bad drug things or being compromised like in Weeds and you have this show. Well, kinda.
This is Guy Ritchie, after all.
Characters (That REALLY REALLY Work)
Truthfully, all characters work! This one is hard (hence the inclusion of REALLY REALLY, but here goes)
Kaya Scodelario as Susie Glass. If you’re a lucky actor, you will have one role in your life that defines your career in that it makes you instantly recognizable, in all the right ways. For Andrew Scott, it’s the hot priest in Fleabag. For Jason Sudeikis, it’s Ted Lasso. Kaya Scodelario is still young and immensely talented so who knows, but the character of Susie Glass is the role of a lifetime. Susie is strong, loyal, smart, sexy and oh-so feminine. Her one-liners and monologues can cut and in a male-dominated crime business world, she can compel a man to do her bidding. Just ask Eddie (Theo James) who would have made my list if I allowed myself up to 3 characters. Alas, you will have to settle for pictures, instead.
Some of Susie’s memorable get-ups:
Here’s Eddie:
Eddie & Susie:
Ray Winstone as Bobby Glass. Susie’s father, played by “hard man” actor Winstone, an expert in the art of crafting gritty, shady criminals, takes the coveted second spot. He’s a Guy Ritchie film staple, like Vinnie Jones, who is also in this and quite good, but in every scene Winstone is in, he commands. As he’s aged, he’s taken on a bit of a soft interior, but still as sharp as ever. He’s a hardened crime boss serving time, but his infectious loyalty to his family and those he adopts, like Eddie, is a beautiful thing. The man is in prison and he lives like a king.
Case in point:
A Subplot (That Didn’t)
Jimmy is Forgiven After All His Major Mess-Ups. Jimmy Chang is a weed grower who works for Susie Glass on Eddie’s property. He’s meant to be comedic relief and is generally a kind-hearted soul. He’s also stoned 99% of the time so it’s impossible to decipher what his sober personality looks like, but we can safely assume he’s a puppy dog. Towards, the beginning of the series, he makes a big mistake and basically hands over the keys to his van containing millions of dollars of product to the competition - all because he was distracted by an attractive woman, Gabriella, who was hired to steal from him at a bus stop. After this, even as Susie and Eddie give him explicit instructions not to meet with Gabriella, he continues to do so and puts the business at risk. Susie isn’t one to give second chances (for stupidity or disloyalty) so the fact that she gives Jimmy the benefit of the doubt when he almost costs her, her business, is out of character.
The Post Where I Discovered God, But Really It Was Just Saying Witty Stuff About This Show That Made Me Want To Watch It
It’s All in a Name - Richie’s Fascination with “Gentlemen”
A quick chronology of my sleuthing around Ritchie’s obsession:
2019 - He releases a movie called The Gentlemen and it ALSO features a marijuana empire. Stars future The Gentlemen, the series’ stars, Giancarlo Esposito, Vinnie Jones, and Daniel Ings.
Premise: Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey) is an American expatriate who became rich by building a highly profitable marijuana empire in London. When word gets out that he's looking to cash out of the business, it soon triggers an array of plots and schemes -- including bribery and blackmail -- from shady characters who want to steal his domain.
2024 - He releases both The Gentlemen series on Netflix and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare in theaters. The latter is a WW2 epic based on the origin of the Modern Black Ops and sports a fashionable Ritchie cast including Golding, Cavill, Pettyfer, and Ritchson (Reacher).
Let’s Discuss
Have you seen any of “The Gentlemen” cinematic variations? If so, which is/are your favorite(s)?
What are some of the other subplots that didn’t work for you?
Post a picture of your favorite Susie Glass outfit or describe it, please.
I do not think you will be disappointed Steve and if you are, you know where I write. ✍️
Love this take on the Gentlemen, Beth. Completely agree with your analysis - and also agree that Jimmy should've stayed as a "light" role rather than getting him mixed up in a lacklustre sideplot. But overall I loved it - particularly the cinematography and the writing