Amid sprawling countryside estates, luxurious Patek Philippe watches, and wine cellars stocked with rare Romanée-Conti vintages lies the setting of Guy Ritchie’s latest endeavor, The Gentlemen.
This Netflix series, a spinoff from the 2019 film, delves into the hidden underbelly of England’s aristocratic estates. Here, vast marijuana operations are discreetly woven into the fabric of blue-blooded legacies, with growing facilities cleverly masked by acres of land comprising the lavish dukedoms. Watching the original film isn’t a prerequisite for enjoying the series, but if you’re a fan of Ritchie’s style, it’s well worth your time.
At the center of this opulent yet shadowy world is Eddie Horniman (Theo James, completely unrecognizable from the effusive Don Juan he played on White Lotus). Horniman unexpectedly inherits his family’s grand estate, only to discover a covert, illegal cannabis operation — a lingering relic of his father’s secretive reign. This lucrative yet illicit business thrusts Horniman into a vortex of criminal dealings, challenging his moral integrity while he tries to protect his family.
As an honorable army officer, Horniman initially recoils at the idea of aligning with the drug traffickers entrenched on his land. However, the burden of a gambling-addicted brother and the complex dynamics of familial loyalty draw him deeper into the underworld. Naively, he tells himself he’ll just do this one other thing and after that, he’ll evict the traffickers and reject their bribes, hoping to sever ties with the shady syndicate.
It is for this reason that Horniman reluctantly partners with Susie Glass (Kaya Scodelario, who played a similarly witty and cunning character, Effy, on the BBC teenage drama Skins). Glass is the daughter of the marijuana kingpin with a pot-producing greenhouse on Horniman’s land. They share an organic and highly addictive chemistry, leapfrogging from one quest to another: Horniman first asks Glass to pull some strings to get his brother out of debt to dodgy loan sharks, who in turn ask for a favor in exchange, and so on. Horniman’s dip into organized crime soon spirals into a full-fledged dive.
It is a testament to Ritchie’s shrewd writing and direction that Horniman and Glass exude such chemistry without the need for a cliché raunchy bedroom scene that has become the norm in most shows these days.
Much like Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Horniman’s entanglement in the criminal milieu begins as a hesitant step taken to protect his family. But as the series progresses, Horniman realizes he’s a better criminal than he gave himself credit for and becomes consumed by the very enterprise from which he sought to sever himself. Crime is never a “one-and-done” endeavor. Each compromise leads to further entanglements.
Though The Gentlemen’s consistency never wavers throughout its eight episodes, the innocence of Horniman’s initial intentions makes the first half of the series particularly compelling before he transforms into a debonair gangster.
Despite his military background, Horniman often finds himself in situations in which he lacks control, yet he is never portrayed as daft. Put in an array of perilous circumstances, he must bide his time and choose his moments to act wisely rather than recklessly. He prevails, thanks to his wits. He’s no Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible. He’s more akin to Vinnie Jones’s “Big Chris” from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels — a tough guy who endures the whims of those above him until he can seize a moment of opportunity or luck.
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A hallmark of Ritchie’s best works is the presence of quirky and memorable supporting characters, usually with unique names. In The Gentlemen, such characters include Gospel John (Pearce Quigley), a psychotic, mass-murdering Scottish clergyman, and Thick Rick (Gary Beadle), a former accountant-turned-mob money launderer.
It’s a telling reflection of our times that the ultimate test for any streaming content is how long it can captivate us before we’re tempted to check our phones. Yet, Ritchie’s The Gentlemen is crafted with such a relentless pace that it leaves no room for such distractions. It ranks among his finest works in years, not only commanding attention but also earning it, showcasing some of the best storytelling modern cinema has to offer.
Harry Khachatrian (@Harry1T6) is a film critic for the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a computer engineer in Toronto pursuing his MBA.
