Nice Guys, The (UK Import) (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Aug 13, 2025
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
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Director
Shane BlackRelease Date(s)
2016 (June 16, 2025)Studio(s)
Warner Bros. Pictures/Silver Pictures/Waypoint (Second Sight Films)- Film/Program Grade: A
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A+
- Extras Grade: A
Review
[Editor’s Note: This is a British 4K Ultra HD import release with a Region B-locked Blu-ray.]
The Nice Guys is an old-fashioned, neo-noir thriller through the lens of a buddy comedy, one that was a breath of fresh air when it was released in the spring of 2016. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a film that lit the box office on fire, but it later found much more love on home video. It was mostly well-received by critics, but despite being a Shane Black joint, it criminally has yet to receive a sequel, which it’s most deserving of.
Taking place in 1970s Los Angeles, the disheveled, alcoholic private investigator Holland March (Ryan Gosling) is hired to track down missing adult film star Misty Mountains, who’s dead. During his investigation, muscle-for-hire Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) is sent by a young woman named Amelia (Margaret Qualley) to threaten March after the case leads him to her, and she gets scared. As it turns out, there are more people looking for Amelia, including a pair of thugs (Keith David and Beau Knapp), a contract killer (Matt Bomer), and Amelia’s mother Judith (Kim Basinger), who works for the Justice Department. With the help of March’s resourceful young daughter Holly (Angourie Rice), March and Healy form an unlikely alliance, hitting the streets of L.A. to locate Amelia and uncover the larger machinations behind the disappearance and subsequent murder of Misty Mountains. Also among the cast are Lois Smith, Yaya DaCosta, Murielle Telio, Gil Gerard, Jack Kilmer, Ty Simpkins, and the voice of Hannibal Buress.
Though Quentin Tarantino would go on to one-up the nostalgia game three years later in Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood (which also features Margaret Qualley), The Nice Guys uses the 1970s more as a backdrop to the story itself. You see plenty of vintage costumes, cars, electronics, and signage (as well as the classic Saul Bass black and red Warner Bros. logo at the outset), but it’s meant more to establish the time and setting. The draw is the chemistry between Crowe and Gosling, which is off the charts. They’re total opposites that somehow work well together, but because the film plays around with clichés, the young, less-experienced March is the alcoholic screw-up with the foul mouth, while the older, wiser Healy is the cleaner, more seasoned half of their rocky and reluctant partnership. They’re both broken people in their own way, but with Holly tagging along to help keep them on the straight and narrow, they somehow make a successful team—even if their success is often measured by their luck, or by being in the right place at the right time, and not necessarily by using their combined skill sets.
The Nice Guys also offers shades of the surreal, with March falling asleep at the wheel and discovering an oversized bumblebee speaking to him from the back seat. Another moment, which goes unexplained, involves him seeing a man wearing a Richard Nixon mask underwater in a swimming pool. These moments give off a Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas vibe, but never at the expense of the plot. The comedy is also of the witty variety. Nobody is really cracking jokes, but March and Healy find themselves in impossible situations and react ironically about it. It’s not quite as over-the-top as other Shane Black-penned projects like Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout, but closer to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Performances are terrific all around, especially from Angourie Rice and Margaret Qualley, both of whom have gone on to have busy careers.
Above all else, The Nice Guys is a throwback, not just to the 1970s, but a time when buddy movies could be extremely satisfying with the right script and the right cast. Crowe and Gosling are like peanut butter and chocolate on screen together. The story itself becomes a little convoluted along the way and it may take more than one viewing to suss out some of the finer details and connections, but even so, you’ll be whisked away by the camaraderie and the chemistry of the three leads. Minor flaws aside, The Nice Guys is still one of the finest of its kind.
The Nice Guys was captured digitally by cinematographer Philippe Rousselot in the ARRIRAW (2.8K) and Redcode RAW (6K) codecs using a combination of Arri Alexa XT Plus and Red Epic Dragon cameras with Panavision E- and G-Series, Angenieux Optimo 2S, and Kowa Prominar lenses, finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Second Sight Films brings the film to 4K Ultra HD for a second time worldwide with a new master approved by director Shane Black. It’s from the same upsampled 2K DI source, which has also been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, encoded and QC’d by David Mackenzie of Fidelity in Motion, and presented on a dual-layered BD-66 disc. The differences between this disc and the Warner Bros. release aren’t readily apparent as both discs offer excellent UHD presentations, but the Second Sight release surpasses it marginally with better encoding via Fidelity in Motion, with maxed-out bitrates and even tighter detail. The HDR grades offer warmer hues and richer black levels, all director-approved. It may be a minor upgrade, but the smaller improvements make all the difference. It’s the definitive presentation, if only by a hair.
Audio is included in a new Dolby Atmos (7.1 Dolby TrueHD compatible) track, as well as the previous 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio container with optional subtitles in English SDH. The tracks share similarities to each other, but the Atmos track builds upon the 5.1 by moving some key moments into the height channels. Both tracks offer strong directionality and precise dialogue exchanges. Low end activity is frequent, as well, especially during some of the busier action and music-driven scenes. The 5.1 track is still a quality aural experience, while the Atmos excels.
The Limited Edition Second Sight Films 2-Disc 4K Ultra HD release of The Nice Guys presents the UHD disc and Region B-locked 1080p Blu-ray in a gatefold sleeve alongside a set of 9 art cards featuring characters from the film and a 150-page hardback book, which contains cast and crew information, the essays Into the Melting Pot: The Nice Guys by Barry Forshaw, Funny How?: A Look at Ryan Gosling’s Comedy Credentials by Hannah Strong, Bloody Christmas by Mitchell Beaupre, The Nice Gals: The Women of Shane Black’s Neo-Noirs and How Do You Like My Car, Big Boy?: The Brutal Absurdity of The Nice Guys by Naomi Whitney, They Died Quickly: Black and the Action-Buddy Noir by Jamie Graham, You Made a Porno Film Where the Point Was the Plot?: The Nice Guys and Crime Cinema’s Relationship With Pornography (And Vice Versa) by Justin LaLiberty, a set of acknowledgments, and production credits. Everything is housed in rigid slipcase packaging, all with artwork by Obviously Creative (the OC Agency Group). The following extras are included on each disc, all in HD:
- Audio Commentary with Shane Black, Anthony Bagarozzi, and Priscilla Page
- Knights in Tarnished Armour: An Interview with Director Shane Black (35:47)
- Finding an Audience: An Interview with Co-Producer Ethan Erwin (22:15)
- A Thousand Cuts: An Interview with Director of Photography Philippe Rousselot (14:04)
- From Lethal Weapons to Nice Guys: How Shane Black Reinvented the Buddy Movie (21:29)
- Always Bet on Black (5:24)
- Making The Nice Guys: Worst. Detectives. Ever. (6:14)
- Cast Interviews (11:09)
- Trailers (3 in all – 5:04)
This release also adds a substantial amount of newly-created bonus materials, plus everything from previous releases, of which there wasn’t much. First is an audio commentary with director and co-writer Shane Black and co-writer Anthony Bagarozzi, moderated by writer Priscilla Page. It’s a very relaxed and laid back commentary as the three participants basically watch the film, and pretty much fall into the trap of forgetting that they’re supposed to be doing a commentary, occasionally parceling out useful information about the making of the film, but mostly re-experiencing it. Sadly, Page isn’t up to the task of keeping things interesting for the listener.
In Knights in Tarnished Armour, Shane Black discusses the thirteen-year genesis and writing of the project, the frustrations of getting it off the ground at different stages and in different forms, the pros and cons of the buddy movie formula, turning clichés on their head, working with actors who bring unplanned ideas to a project, casting the film, working with Joel Silver, shooting the film with Philippe Rousselot, the complexity of putting together the ending, shooting party scenes, concentrating on the entertainment value, the editing process, the score, the release of the film, the importance of mid-range movies in the theater, the rights to the film and the possibility of making sequels, the idea of the film existing outside of yourself, movie novelizations, the enjoyment of pulp fiction, being proud of your work, and making films that stand the test of time.
In Finding an Audience, co-producer Ethan Erwin talks about working at Silver Pictures as a script reader, the process of deciding to produce The Nice Guys, incarnations of the script, working with Shane Black, finding the cast, the quality of the costumes and the sets, the importance of test screenings, what was in the script versus what wound up in the final film, possible sequels, and stories from the set. In A Thousand Cuts, cinematographer Philippe Rousselot talks about being personally picked by Shane Black for the film, the pros and cons of shooting comedies, working with Shane Black, shooting on digital, using the right tools for the job, finding new things in the moment on the set, working with Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, color timing the film, and collaborating with filmmakers on different projects.
From Lethal Weapons to Nice Guys is a video essay by writer and film journalist Leigh Singer, who examines Shane Black’s reinvention of the buddy movie genre, defining what exactly that means in Shane Black terms versus where the genre initially sprang from. Always Bet on Black and Worst. Detectives. Ever. are two brief EPK featurettes carried over from previous releases. Next are a set of promotional Cast Interviews with Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Kim Basinger, Margaret Qualley, and Matt Bomer. Last are three trailers for the film.
Second Sight’s Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD release ups the ante over the Warner Bros. stateside budget UHD release considerably, though both offer high quality presentations of the film, with the Second Sight release obviously coming out on top. If you’re looking for a more affordable alternative and your only requirement is great picture and sound, the Warner Bros. disc more than meets that criteria. For everyone else, the Second Sight package is a must-own. Either way, both are highly recommended.
- Tim Salmons
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