STACK September 2016 Issue 143

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40 SEPTEMBER 2016
DVD&BD
FEATURE
Shane Black arguably created the modern buddy film with his screenplay
for the classic LethalWeapon . And it’s a genre that he was delighted to
return to with the comedy-thriller The Nice Guys. Words: Adam Colby
Shane Black is happy to
admit that buddy films are
his bread and butter. After
all, he pretty much designed the
template for the genre with Mel
Gibson and Danny Glover in the
Lethal Weapon series, and has
just created another memorable
double act in Russell Crowe and
Ryan Gosling in the comedy-thriller
The Nice Guys.
But perhaps what is surprising
is the inspiration for his own buddy
films. “I saw a movie that Ron
Howard did called Night Shift, back
in the 80s,” he recalls. “It was sold
as a silly comedy, but I went
to see it and I was surprised
by this really kind of soulful
and heartfelt relationship.
And I thought, wow, isn’t
that something that within
the context of being that
funny, you can actually tell an
organic, real story.”
In The Nice Guys, Crowe
plays an enforcer who
teams up with a small-time
private eye (Gosling) to solve
a mystery involving a missing
young woman, the death of
a porn star, and a high level
corporate conspiracy. However,
unlike most of Black’s previous
buddy flicks, this one has a
retro setting, with the action
unfolding in the seamy Los
Angeles of the 1970s.
To Black, the era provided
the perfect backdrop for his
tale of corruption and murder.
While Los Angeles was still a
destination for dreamers, he says
that by the ‘70s the city wasn’t
in particularly good shape: the
Hollywood sign was crumbling, the
famous Sunset Strip was a haven
for sleaze and prostitution, and the
smog was so bad that there were
air raid sirens telling children to go
inside because it wasn’t safe to
play outdoors.
“It was still maintaining
this illusion of glamour and
luxuriousness,” the writer-director
adds. “I thought it was a perfect
setting for a detective story.”
Although played mainly for
laughs, Black was nevertheless
conscious that the film also had
to work as a suspenseful thriller.
“You’ve got to keep that first and
foremost,” he maintains. “Make
sure there’s a strong mystery
thriller and then let these guys just
tear it to shreds and deconstruct it,
and be very funny.”
His two stars certainly don’t
disappoint on that front and Black
was impressed with the way both
Crowe and Gosling embraced the
wisecracks and the more slapstick
elements of the movie: “Ryan was
particularly willing to just
fling himself off from stuff
onto other stuff,” he adds.
That said, it’s the odd
couple relationship between
the two leads that makes
The Nice Guys such a joy –
and that’s why Black remains
so fond of the buddy genre.
“The buddy movie is
just about people,” he says.
“There’s a certain aspect I love
about movies where people are
kind of down-trodden, they’ve
sort of given up. Someone
else has to come long and
believe in them when they
don’t. And that kind of simple
idea is infinitely variable. I felt
listening to the banter these
guys do back and forth,
the throwaway stuff, the
deadpan stuff…I could
do that the rest of my
life.”
Make sure there's a strong
mystery thriller and then let
these guys just tear it to shreds
Mel Gibson and
Danny Glover
“I’m getting too old
for this sh...” Much
copied and spoofed,
Lethal Weapon’s Riggs
and Murtaugh remain
one of cinemas most
memorable double acts,
even if they did end
up overstaying their
welcome.
BruceWillis and
DamonWayans
Although not one
of Black’s happiest
Hollywood experiences
– his original script for
The Last Boy Scout
was apparently much
darker – Willis and
Wayans spark off each
quite nicely all the same.
Robert Downey Jr.
andVal Kilmer
A comeback film for
both Black and Downey
Jr., Kiss Kiss Bang
Bang is also arguably
the writer-director’s
best work. It certainly
boasts the oddest of his
odd couples: Downey
Jr. is a struggling actor,
while Kilmer plays a gay
private eye.
BLACK’S
BEST
BUDDIES
• The Nice
Guys
is out on Aug 31