“The Nice Guys” is a 2016 American neo-noir comedy-drama film directed by James Fargo and written by Matt Czap. The film stars Russell Crowe, Richard Jenkins, J. B. Smoker, and Elisabeth Shue. It is based on the 2014 novel of the same name by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan.
The film follows a pair of professional hit men who get tangled in a love triangle with mob boss Carmine Falcone’s daughter as they try to collect a $10 million bounty on the head of a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent. The foursome attempt to elude capture while evading assassins, kidnappers, and each other in a chaotic scheme full of cunning and betrayal.
The Writers’ Strike And How It Affected The Film
While on the surface “The Nice Guys” might seem like a typical action-adventure film, it was in fact written during a period when Hollywood writers were on strike. The screenwriters decided to give it a go as the strike was looming over the set. Luckily for them, “The Nice Guys” was released in the middle of the summer, so audiences couldn’t really claim they were cheated out of a good movie by not being able to watch it due to the writers’ strike. Still, the writers did end up losing out on some revenue from the film, as it became one of the few movies released during that time to suffer a significant financial loss.
The Production
“The Nice Guys” was filmed between August and October 2015 in and around New York City. The production value was high, with Crowe noting that they used “the best cameramen, the best editors, the best makeup artists, the best wardrobe people.” Director of photography Matthew Libatique called it “one of the greatest productions I’ve ever been a part of.”
The cast and crew worked hard to give the film that authentic feel, even going so far as to enlist the help of real FBI agents and New York City police officers, as well as using replicas for vehicles and set pieces. The team even drove actual Mustangs, firing them up to give the appearance of action.
The Box Office
“The Nice Guys” was well-received by audiences and critics when it was released on August 12, 2016, earning $16.8 million in its opening weekend. Reviews for the film were mostly positive, with Ben Kenigsberg from The New York Times noting, “Mr. Carter has fashioned a characteristically witty, action-packed caper movie.”
The film’s strong opening was followed by relatively weaker box office numbers over the next few weeks, sinking below its $16.8 million budget in just four weeks, finishing with just $10.8 million. It was eventually removed from theatres in a majority of markets, although it held on for a while in some regions, playing in front of relatively empty houses. It was eventually declared a box office bomb.
The Future
Since its box office performance was so poor, it was likely that the film marked the end of an era for the production, with Sony moving away from its heist-comedy roots, and toward more family-friendly fare. Still, the studio has already started developing a remake of “The Nice Guys” with Richard Curtis (“Love, Actually”) on board to write the script. While it might not be the most popular movie with audiences or critics, it’s certainly among the most memorable, and that’s all that really matters.