“The Gentlemen” is a crime comedy film directed by Guy Ritchie in 2019. It’s known for its slick visuals, sharp dialogue, and intricate plot. At its core, the movie delves into power dynamics within the criminal underworld. Characters like Mickey Pearson and Dry Eye team up to dominate the marijuana trade, sparking fierce competition, betrayal, and shifting alliances.
In “The Gentlemen,” loyalty is paramount, especially with characters like Raymond, who sticks by Mickey through thick and thin. But amidst all the betrayals, it’s clear that some characters will do anything to get ahead, even if it means crushing others’ loyalties and beliefs. The movie paints a vivid picture of a world where personal interests often outweigh everything else, leaving loyalty hanging by a thread.
In “The Gentlemen,” the narrative delves into the concepts of identity and perception, particularly how someone’s image influences how others see them. Take Mickey Pearson, for instance. He presents himself as a sophisticated businessman, masking his true criminal activities. The film explores how appearances shape our understanding of reality and raises questions about how long someone can maintain a façade before it all comes crashing down.
The Gentleman (2019) Film Summary & Plot Synopsis
“The Gentlemen” is a British-American crime comedy film written and directed by Guy Ritchie. The story centers around Michael Pearson, a successful American expatriate who has built a lucrative marijuana business in London. When Michael considers selling his business and retiring, chaos ensues as gangsters, criminals, and competitors vie for control. As the plot unfolds, alliances are formed, and betrayals are revealed. The movie features everyday dialogue, surprising plot twists, and thrilling fight scenes, characteristic of Guy Ritchie’s unique filmmaking style.
Why is Fletcher at Raymond’s house?
Fletcher, a private investigator, is hired by Big Dave, the owner of a well-known tabloid. Big Dave holds a grudge against Michael Pearson because Michael refused to shake his hand at a party. This was because Big Dave had published fallacies about one of Michael’s associates. So, Big Dave wants to expose Michael and his businesses. He assigns Fletcher to investigate Michael and pays him 150,000 pounds for the job. However, during the investigation, Fletcher becomes greedy and decides to blackmail Michael instead. He goes to Raymond’s house, who is Michael’s closest henchman and right-hand man. Fletcher tells Raymond everything he knows and then demands 20 million pounds in exchange for not revealing the information to Big Dave.
Why is Michael Pearson selling his business?
Fletcher begins his story from Michael Pearson’s college days. He explains that Michael was a bright student who even earned a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University. However, coming from a poor background, Michael’s main ambition was to quickly become rich. So, he dropped out of college and started selling marijuana to wealthy British students at the university. Unfortunately, his business dealings were often violent, resulting in a police record.
Despite the obstacles, Michael rose to the top and became one of the top suppliers of marijuana in the underworld. After years in the business, he decided to sell it and retire peacefully with his wife, Rosalind Pearson. He planned to sell the company to the highest bidder, and an American billionaire named Matthew Berger expressed interest. Berger offered 4 million sterling pounds to purchase Michael’s successful and profitable business.
Another day, Michael took Matthew to his marijuana farm. While inspecting the plantation, Matthew asked Michael why he wanted to sell such a successful business. Michael explained that the marijuana business was going to become legal in England soon, and with his history of criminal records, it would attract constant attention from the police. Therefore, he wanted to retire without getting into any legal trouble.
Why did Michael Pearson move his Marijuana plantation?
Fletcher introduces Lord George’s right-hand man, Dry Eye, into his narrative. Lord George is a highly respected gangster in China, and Dry Eye is one of his most trusted associates. Dry Eye is involved in smuggling goods and trafficking humans for his boss. When Dry Eye learns about Pearson selling his business, he expresses interest in buying it. Pearson’s wife, Rosalind, runs a successful car business known worldwide. She worries about her husband’s safety as her company is a target for many.
Rosalind is visited by Dry Eye, who brings her rare auto parts and requests a meeting with her husband in return. Though Rosalind doesn’t promise anything, she arranges a brief meeting between Dry Eye and Pearson. However, Dry Eye rudely offers a small sum for Pearson’s business, and Pearson politely refuses. At the same time, he imagines how he would deal with Dry Eye if he didn’t leave immediately.
That very night, a group of amateur MMA fighters called the Toddlers break into Pearson’s lab, stealing his marijuana and even filming themselves doing it, tarnishing Pearson’s underworld reputation. However, their coach, unhappy with their actions, makes them take down the video as soon as he realizes the marijuana belongs to Pearson. Meanwhile, Pearson begins relocating his plantations. He seeks help from Lord Snowball to move his marijuana plantation elsewhere.
In exchange for Snowball’s assistance, Pearson agrees to help Lord Pressfield. It turns out Pearson’s daughter, Laura, has substance abuse disorder and has recently gone missing. While bringing Laura home from a hideout, a scuffle ensues with one of the addicted men, Aslan, a young Russian man. During the fight, Aslan accidentally plummets from the balcony to his death. Laura returns home but later dies due to an overdose.
The Gentlemen (2019) Movie Ending Explained:
Why did Dry Eye and Matthew Berger join hands?
The coach meets with Raymond, apologizes, and offers to make amends for his students’ mistakes. Meanwhile, elsewhere, the coach captures Phuc for Raymond, as he was the one who had informed the Toddlers about the weed lab. When Raymond tries to question Phuc, he throws himself in front of a train in a failed escape attempt. Pearson immediately suspects Lord George of foul play and even deduces Lord George’s intention to lower the selling price of his business. Pearson, in rage, threatens him and even burns one of his heroin labs. Lord George then confronts Dry Eye as Phuc is his man. When Lord George orders his henchman to kill Dry Eye, he shoots Lord George instead. After George’s death, Dry Eye rises to power in the mafia.
Meanwhile, Pearson is sitting in a bar when a man enters to kill him, but Raymond arrives just in time and shoots the assassin. While at the bar, Pearson speaks with his wife, who receives some unexpected visitors. Dry Eye has come to kidnap Rosalind to blackmail Pearson. However, Pearson overhears his wife mentioning Dry Eye’s name. Despite being in an accident, he manages to reach Rosalind in time and shoots Dry Eye dead.
Later, Fletcher reveals that Berger and Dry Eye had teamed up to lower the price of Pearson’s business. Pearson summons Berger to one of his freezing factories, where he discloses his awareness of Berger’s plan and even displays the frozen corpse of Dry Eye. Pearson demands a pound of Berger’s flesh from a spot of his choosing and 270 million sterling pounds to compensate for the blood that stained Pearson’s hand due to Berger’s schemes. This marks the end of Fletcher’s storytelling. Raymond instructs the coach and the toddlers to deal with Big Dave. The Toddlers film a questionable video of Big Dave and blackmails him into never pursuing Michael Pearson.
Why are Russian assassins after Michael?
While Raymond and Coach lock Fletcher in a trunk, he reveals that he tells them about Aslan’s father, a KGB officer. If you haven’t picked it up, Aslan was the same man who plummeted to his death while Raymond was looking for Laura. Also, the man who attacked Pearson at the bar was a Russian assassin. When the Coach leaves Raymond’s place, The Toddlers informs him that some killers are outside Raymond’s house.
As the shooting begins, Coach intervenes and shoots all the Russian assassins down. On the other hand, The Toddlers rescues Michael Pearson after Russian assassins kidnap him. The Toddlers efficiently take down the assassins, making their Coach proud. The movie ends with Raymond taking care of Fletcher and Rosalind informing Pearson that Raymond has Fletcher.