The process of making movies is a funny thing. Because while it's first and foremost a business, films are ultimately made by a group of artists, all of which have their own perspective. Perhaps none is more important than the director's, as they're the person who is truly steering the ship. Director Guy Ritchie has developed his own style throughout the years, especially during his iconic crime movies. And it turns out that Ritchie's process was originally frustrating to actor Matthew McConaughey while working on The Gentlemen.
The Gentlemen is Guy Ritchie's return to the crime genre, and focuses on various crime entities vying to procure the Matthew McConaughey's marijuana empire. The movie is stylistic and over the top, allowing the cast of A-Listers to each have a chance to shine. Chief among them is McConaughey, although it turns out that he had a hard time working with Ritchie's style of directing, until something clicked. I had a chance to speak with the Oscar-winning actor and his The Gentlemen co-stars ahead of its release, and you can check out our conversation below.
It looks like Guy Ritchie is a filmmaker who utilizes rewrites when working with his actors. This admittedly frustrated Matthew McConaughey early in the process for The Gentlemen, but it look like he ultimately came around. Namely, because the rewrites were so much better than the material he'd originally prepared.
Speaking with the cast of The Gentlemen, it really becomes clear how much work Matthew McConaughey puts into each new movie. There's a certain amount of prep necessary in order to perform take after take. And properly learning the pages is one way to be able to play and give variation when filming. That is, unless Guy Ritchie is giving rewrites and changes on the fly.
Having seen The Gentlemen, I can understand why Guy Ritchie might have been providing rewrites on the fly. The movie is over the top, with the various criminals each saying biting lines of dialogue to each other, and dropping more than one C-bomb along the way. The lines felt off the cuff, which allowed more rewrites and changes to the dialogue being performed by the cast. And according to Matthew McConaughey, that was a process that really worked once it clicked.
From the trailers, you can see how The Gentlemen has an absolutely bonkers tone. The movie deals with high stakes and violence, as different criminal kingpins attempt to negotiate their way into a giant marijuana empire across the pond. Plenty of shady characters pop up, each of which has their own set of hilarious and cruel insults. In order to ensure the best lines ultimately made it into the theatrical cut, Guy Ritchie switched up the dialogue from what was originally on the page.
The Gentlemen will arrive in theaters on January 24th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
