Directed by Shane Black (2016)
by Sandy DeVito

Like an exhilarating breath of fresh air after a shot of good whiskey, The Nice Guys dances effortlessly through its intricate plot, putting other films that have imitated its tone and style to shame. This is owing to a damn-near-perfect cast, simply stunning throwback 70's mis-en-scene, and the gut-bustingly funny and breathtakingly clever writing and direction of the great Shane Black (he wrote Lethal Weapon and The Monster Squad, and wrote/directed one of my favorite films of all time, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang; he also directed Iron Man 3, arguably the greatest and most nuanced of any Marvel movie). Shane Black gives me hope that good writers can still somehow weasel through the Hollywood Machine and make their funny, beautiful, endlessly enjoyable art a reality. Cheers to you, Shane Black.