In 2019, Guy Ritchie had a very successful year with Aladdin and The Gentlemen, and to doff a cap to his success, I have curated similar movies like the latter.
Two very different films in his filmography, but The Gentlemen went back to basics. The film is about an American expat who tries to sell off his highly profitable marijuana empire in London, triggering plots, scenes, bribery, and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain from under him.
What Ritchie loves doing is bringing in fresh faces and mixing them with big actors to create a perfect balance within his cast. This film had Henry Golding and Charlie Hunnam alongside Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Grant, and Colin Farrell.
The films on the list below are all strong crime thrillers (some darker than others), and there is a sprinkle of humor as well. These films all have wonderful actors among the cast who give some of their best performances.
The Man From Uncle (2015)
From the mind of Guy Ritchie comes a remake of a popular television series from 1964. In the early 1960s, CIA Agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) participated in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization that is working to increase nuclear weapons. The way the characters interact with each other is engaging, and this film has many twists.
Snatch (2000)
In the early 2000s, there were actors who were slowly on the rise, and Guy Ritchie decided to cast them all in this comedy. Crooked boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers, and supposedly Jewish jewelers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond. The cast consists of Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Toro, Stephen Graham, and Jason Statham.
Savages (2012)
This crime drama is a bit darker than the others on this list, and it comes from the mind of Oliver Stone. Pot growers Ben (Aaron Taylor Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch) face off against the Mexican drug cartel that kidnapped their shared girlfriend (Blake Lively). They all play their parts well, but it is Lively and Benicio Del Toro who steal the spotlight.
Uncut Gems (2019)
You haven’t seen Adam Sandler’s best performance until you’ve seen Uncut Gems. With his debts mounting and angry collectors closing in, a fast-talking New York City jeweler risks everything in the hope of staying afloat and alive. The Safdie brothers made an electric, anxiety-inducing film that will keep you on the edge of your seat with Howie (Sandler) trying to outsmart the crooks who want his money.
The Nice Guys (2016)
Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling star in this hilarious action comedy from Shane Black. In 1970s Los Angeles, a mismatched pair of private eyes investigate a missing girl and the mysterious death of a porn star. Gosling and Crowe seem like an unlikely pairing for a buddy cop dynamic, but they worked incredibly well together. This is the most underrated performance of Gosling’s career.
Smokin’ Aces (2006)
In the early 2000s, action films were a mixed bag, and sometimes, there would be hidden gems that would surprise many. Smokin’ Aces has a stacked cast, including Jeremy Piven, Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman, and Ray Liotta, who are extremely fun to watch. When a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch named Buddy Israel (Piven) decides to turn state’s evidence and testify against the mob, it seems that a whole lot of people would like to make sure he’s no longer breathing.
Layer Cake (2004)
From director Matthew Vaughn comes Daniel Craig’s audition for James Bond. Layer Cake is about a successful cocaine dealer who gets two tough assignments from his boss on the eve of his planned retirement. This is one of Craig’s first films, and it showed how incredible he would be in an action setting.
The Town (2010)
Out of the films that Ben Affleck has written and directed, The Town is by far his darkest and most riveting. A proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold Claire (Rebecca Hall), the assistant manager, hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with Claire. It is action-packed and thrilling from beginning to end.
Widows (2018)
The pairing of Steve McQueen and Gillian Flynn was a match made in thriller heaven. Four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities take fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms. The cast of women includes Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Cynthia Erivo, and Elizabeth Debicki.
Den of Thieves (2018)
No one expected Den of Thieves to be as entertaining as it was when it came out in 2018. It is a movie that surged based on word of mouth, and people flocked to the theatre to watch it. An elite unite of the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. and the state’s most successful bank robbery crew clash as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank.
Do you have any other recommendations for movies like The Gentlemen? Let us know in the comments.
