The trailers seemed intent on advertising Shane Black as the guy who helmed the mediocre Iron Man 3. They ought to have reminded us that he’s the writer behind the first two Lethal Weapon films, which are the among the greatest buddy cop films ever made. Why? Because The Nice Guys is another excellent entry into the “buddy” genre, and one which will stand the test of time.

The Nice Guys follows private investigator March (Ryan Gosling) looking into the disappearance of a porn star called Misty Mountains. Meanwhile, Healy (Russell Crowe) makes a living as an enforcer, giving out beatings for those who’ll pay. While both feel they’re on the brink of happiness, their paths cross, and are motivated to team up and investigate the circumstances behind Misty’s disappearance.

As I said earlier, The Nice Guys is an excellent buddy film thanks to the performances from both Gosling and Crowe. We know they can both act, but what’s surprising here is how great their chemistry is together. I for one would have never put them together, but they fill their characters’ shoes so well that they disappear into the screen – you’ll forget at once that Maximus Decimus Meridius and the nutjob from Drive are buddying up to solve a crime.

Also noteworthy is Angourie Rice, a child actress who plays March’s daughter. I got nervous when her character became more and more involved in the story, as a bad child actor can ruin a lot of a good film. However, Rice carried the role with an uncommon, natural maturity that brought her character to life. From this performance alone, I suspect she’ll be going places.

More on the characters in a moment, let’s talk about what we all really want from this film. I feel so happy to say that The Nice Guys is hilarious. As you might expect from such a miserable bastard, it’s rare I laugh so often in a film. What I found staggering was the level of slapstick, a flavour of comedy I usually find irritating. Somehow, Shane Black carries it off with great taste, making even the most telegraphed moments side-splitting.

I will say that while most of the dialogue is great, I would have liked some of it to be a bit sharper. Some lines feel outdated, especially when the characters try to make light of their situation and crack a joke. This isn’t always the case though, and many moments took me totally off-guard.

The action is great too. From the opening shot I knew I was going to enjoy Black’s direction. A goal for comedic direction is for a cut or a pan to be the punchline, as is often the case in The Nice Guys. The shootouts and fight sequences are all impeccably filmed – it’s great to see Black’s love of the genre extends beyond his screenwriting talent to his work behind the camera.

These characters, despite being goofy and typically mismatched, are brought to life by both the writing and the performances. The result is a surprisingly investing story told through characters with unexpected depth. In just a few short scenes and with visuals alone, there were moments when I really felt for what these guys were going through. A big juxtaposition from the overall silliness of the plot, but never a jarring one.

The Nice Guys is funny, entertaining, and contains some true heartfelt moments – perfect if not for some overreliance on outdated quips and a predictable story structure. It’s worth seeing for the performances alone, but the laughs you’ll get make it one I guarantee you’ll enjoy.

9-8

(GRADES: Both are from 0 to 10. The left is an objective score based on artistic merit, the right is my personal enjoyment.)

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