Is The Gentlemen (2024) Worth the Download? Moviebox Verdict & Specs

Initial System Build: Aristocracy Meets Enterprise

In Theo James's military officer character Eddie Horniman, The Gentlemen series extrapolates viewers into his journey of the inheritance saga as he uncovers his family's stately country estate has a hidden, sprawling cannabis empire. This illicit enterprise is far from passive, and The Gentlemen series does not shy away from showing that the current operators of the enterprise have no intention of leaving. This sets up a classic Guy Ritchie film scenario: conflict of two worlds, high-stakes negotiations, and a constant balancing act of illegal activities all under the guise of the British aristocracy. The series immediately establishes its intent and draws down the gap between the sophisticated and gritty settings. A series filled with colorful characters and an intricate plot, this series is sure to blow you away as you discover the extremely talented cast.

Feature Highlights: Performance and Pacing

The strength of this series largely stems from Ritchie's distinctly rapid pace and snappy dialogue in convenience of its excellent ensemble cast. Theo James as Eddie is fantastic, as his character is forced to adapt to the new surroundings, and displays a convincing composed demeanor with a newfound edge of ruthlessness. Kaya Scodelario is fantastic as a sharp and calculating member of the criminal syndicate. Along with the fantastic cast, Daniel Ings as Freddy is a breakout character by far for the audience, as his performance of an "insufferable" character provides a great burden of dramatic and comedic relief. It is easy to see the string of Guy Ritchie's directorial films with the quick cuts, anachronistic music, and the typical morally ambiguous characters with a distinct world. Ritchie delivers everything we love and want in a Guy Ritchie caper, and the critics agree.

Known Issues: Narrative Proliferation

The series captures a lot of fun and energy, but it has its structural issues. For example, many reviewers claim the series doesn’t “seamlessly expand upon the original movie.” This may also reflect an issue of adapting a rather closed-ended film concept to a series format. A lack of structure sometimes means an overabundance of side plots. One reviewer claimed the series was a “lot of daft stories crammed together.” Side plots in excess can lead to a loss of focus and a “plot overflow” of machinations and counter machinations all demanding focus. Some audience members left happy, but others were not happy with the big reveal for plot. It positively was a “let down,” and may have many audience members predicting the outcome.

Device Compatibility: From Pocket to Panel

"The Gentlemen" boasts an excellent audio and video design, making it a great choice for playback on a variety of devices. The movie's visual design, sharp suits, grisly violence, and riotous set pieces all gain an additional dimension on a PC monitor or smart TV, as does the more intricate of Ritchie’s designs. Bigger screens also help with maintaining immersion with the more intricate of the set pieces and characters. However, the more episodic and compact nature of the movie's design adjusts to devices as small as a smartphone. All of the movie’s narrative fragments neatly retain the experience and clear, sharp dialogue, ensuring that core engagement is retained on even a smartphone, allowing for a great viewing experience on a longer commute or on break. The actors' performances may gain an additional dimension on an even bigger TV, but the series is still very approachable.

Install or Skip: A Calculated Deployment

If you’re into Guy Ritchie’s style of clever, morally gray crime comedies, you’ll probably like The Gentlemen. It has satisfying plot lines and sharp dialogue. It has a great ensemble cast. Even though the story is pretty dense and some of the plot points may be confusing or not meaningful to everyone, people tend to like this movie. This version of the Gentlemen is a good add on to the series.

Changelog: A new story within the Gentlemen universe with new characters and more interconnected stories set up by the episodic format.