While superheroes and disaster epics are all well and good, the most refreshing film of the summer movie season might just be The Nice Guys, as evidenced by a bevy of high-resolution images just released by Warner Bros. The 70s-set noir-tinged crime comedy marks the third directorial effort of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3 helmer Shane Black, who has pretty much perfected the art of buddy storytelling with scripts like Lethal Weapon and The Monster Squad. The next film from Shane Black is reason enough to be excited about The Nice Guys, but the prospect of seeing Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe flex their comedic sensibilities as foils to one another makes this one of the most anticipated films of the summer with nary a single alien invasion in sight.
Set in 1970s Los Angeles, the story finds Gosling’s down-on-his-luck private eye teaming up with Crowe’s hired enforcer to solve the case of a missing girl and the seemingly unrelated death of a porn star. As one can imagine, their investigation takes them down a variety of colorful avenues, all of which are tinged with Black’s signature blend of dark humor and cleverly drawn characters.
While the trailers themselves do a fine job of selling the film, these new images offer a closer look at the colorful world that Black has put together with cinematographer Philippe Rousselot (Big Fish), costume designer Kym Barrett (The Matrix), and production designer Richard Bridgland (Resident Evil). This movie can’t get here soon enough.
Check out the high-resolution images below. The film also stars Kim Basinger, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Angourie Rice, and Yaya Dacosta. The Nice Guys opens in theaters on May 20th.
Here’s the official synopsis for The Nice Guys:
Set in 1970s Los Angeles, down-on-his-luck private eye Holland March (Ryan Gosling) and hired enforcer Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) must work together to solve the case of a missing girl and the seemingly unrelated death of a porn star. During their investigation, they uncover a shocking conspiracy that reaches up to the highest circles of power.