"The Gentlemen" on Netflix is a blast

I was admittedly skeptical when I saw that there was going to be a spin-off of Guy Ritchie's 2019 The Gentlemen. The movie was really good, one of Ritchie's best imo, but at first glance it kinda seemed like a cash grab as the narrative seemed pretty self-contained to me. I still decided to give it a shot because I do like the actors involved and the reviews were solid.

Definitely glad to be wrong about my initial impressions on the show because it's a damn good time. It perfectly captures the tone and vibe of the movie, as well as just really feeling like a story only Guy Ritchie would come up with - a cast of quirky British criminal underworld characters, fast and witty banter, slick direction and camerawork, and just a unique sense of style.

In some ways it almost felt like Breaking Bad meets Guy Ritchie, with the Duke being a relatively normal dude (albeit very handsome and rich, and an Army-trained badass lol) getting pulled into the criminal world and ending up being surprisingly adept at navigating it. It's dressed up in the aforementioned Guy Ritchie stylistic trappings and the combination makes for a fun, fast-paced and addictive watch.

I was impressed with Theo James on The White Lotus and how well he played a sleazy, sexist rich techbro, and he's just as good here, except playing a completely different character. Honestly, this show convinced me that he would make a damn good James Bond - he has the suave charisma and a level of grit and edge to pull it off.

The side characters are great too. Kaya Scodelario kills it as Susie Glass, and Vinnie Jones and Ray Winstone are as gruffly badass and commanding as you'd expect them to be. Giancarlo plays...a Giancarlo character lol but it's always nice to have him on screen.

Admittedly the middle part of the show drags a little bit - the beginning and the ending are the strongest - but the dialogue, style and performances always keep it entertaining.

Really looking forward to a second season now.