The Nice Guys

Both Russell Crowe as the washed-up, rough-edged bouncer-on-hire Healy, and Ryan Gosling as the cynical, heavy-drinking private investigator March are good and cleverly cast.

Without the kinetic energy of Robert Downey Jr it's definitely not an all time classic like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang but it's still a crazy amount of fun. With such quality cinema out in theaters it's silly to pass on an opportunity to get tickets. The only difficult thing here is the two year wait for Black's next film, a sequel to the legendary Predator.

The stakes are high. The Nice Guys may share the vibe of a spoof and, to a large extent it plays out like one, but Black's characters are real and fleshed out -- from March's relationship with his wisecracking daughter to Healy's powerful backstory (which might be best heard with coffee) -- and the plot contrivances may be outrageous but escalate rapidly, like a particularly foulmouthed Hardy Boys story.

A no-holds-barred throwback to the hedonistic 1970s, The Nice Guys is one of the most fun movies you are likely to see this year.

Replete with nudity and violence, if eccentric crime dramas with a dash of dark comedy are up your street, The Nice Guys is your film.

The Gosling-Crowe pairing, obviously. The promise of some great jokes. A lot of murders. And a time long gone. Go, if you're into all that.