The Gentlemen – Review

The Gentlemen – Budget Unknown – 1 hour and 53 minutes

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Raymond comes home and gets a bottle of liquor when he hears ice rattling behind him.  It’s private investigator Fletcher.  Fletcher was hired to find dirt on Raymond’s boss, Mickey, for 150,000 pounds.  Fletcher has found a score of information and turned it into a script.  If Raymond pays in 20 million pounds, he can have the script.  Raymond is annoyed by Fletcher but offers to hear him out.  Fletcher starts with his boss Big Dave.  Big Dave hired Fletcher to get dirt on Mickey because Mickey snubbed him at a party in front of some very influential people.  When Fletcher starts following Mickey, he discovers that Mickey, an American Oxford drop out, is ready to give up the marijuana business and retire from the mobster lifestyle.  He has decided to sell his operation to Matthew for 400 million.  He shows Matthew in and outs of his operation to show its staying power, even if the market becomes legalized in England.  When word gets out that Mickey is going to retire, Dry Eye comes to Mickey to strike a deal.  Mickey thinks Dry Eyes’ offer is disrespectful and unapproved by his boss Lord George.  Then, Mickey gets bad news.  One of his stash houses has been robbed and the video is streaming online as a rap video.  When the robbers’ boss, Coach finds out who they robbed, he is pissed.  He goes to Mickey for penance and Mickey accepts.  But Mickey knows the underworld sees his retirement as a weakness and everyone is gunning for him, his wife, and his business.  And that’s just half of Fletcher’s story.  Will Mickey survive until the end.

In true Guy Ritchie storytelling, it’s not over until it’s over.  You have to be at this movie on time or you will miss crucial parts of the setup.  Of course, you can’t trust what you see because Fletcher is telling a story for the 1st half of the movie.  The second half is told in real-time and has everyone one-upping each other.  This movie will become an instant cult classic while leaving an ending for part two.  This movie is not for kids but the mystery and crime movie lovers will adore this movie.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars

Doubt causes chaos and ones own demise – Mickey

I like it when you talk dirty to me. I can feel myself engorging – Fletcher

From 150 thousand to 20 million. That a step rise – Raymond

If you let him in the hen house, you can expect blood and feathers everywhere – Ross

These are some nails – Matthew

I was there and I’m still shocked – Coach

A gentlemen’s quote is a gentlemen’s word – Dry Eye

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The Last Full Measure – Review

The Last Full Measure – Budget Unknown – 1 hour and 50 minutes

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On September 9, 1999, Scott is stuck in DC traffic.  He gets a call that his boss is retiring “to spend more time with his family”, leaving his job as a Pentagon staffer up in the air.  He leaves his wife, Tara, in traffic and jumps on the metro.  His assistant tells him the retirement is new information and is 11 o’clock is early.  Scott sits and reads is daily packet and meets with is 11 o’clock appointment.  It’s Vietnam Air Force Vet Thomas Tully.  Decades ago, Tully applied for William Hope Pitsenbarger to receive the Medal of Honor.  After an investigation, it was downgraded to an Air Force Cross.  Tully believes this is wrong.  Staff Sargent Pitsenbarger was an Air Force Pararescuemen who was on a mission to airlift injured army men out of the battlefield in Vietnam in mission Abilene.  When the first man is pulled up, Pitsenbarger realizes its the Army medic.  Pitsenbarger knows the men on the ground will need help to get the others to safety.  He lowers himself to the battlefield and saved scores of men.  When the last helicopter was about to fly off, they told Pitsenbarger to get back on the plane.  He sent up one more man, told them to leave him, got a gun, and prepared for battle.  He lost his life for men he never met and saved.  In order to get the Medal of Honor, Scott knows you need 3 things.  Pitsenbarger is only missing the approval from the chain of command.  Scott starts his investigation and sees the toll the war has taken on these men but he sees their courage in trying to honor their fallen comrade.  When Scott’s job is at risk because of political football, can he overcome his fear to get Pitsenbarger his medal before his father, Frank Pitsenbarger, dies of cancer?

In a time veterans are fighting for decent healthcare, this movie will make you want to stand up for them.  The physical and emotional scars are presented to the viewer for shock and compassion.  Each man has worked tirelessly for decades to obtain the Medal of Honor while coping with loss, regret, pain, and PTSD.  With all they are going through, they don’t forget the soldier who lost his life saving theirs.  As Scott investigates, he can’t believe the lives these men cope with because they were promised better by their country.  Their constant disappointment in this country is reflected the moment they see Scott.  They believe he is another puppet sent to sweep Pitsenbarger valor under the rug.  When he shows his true dedication to the project, it allows him to open his heart and fight it through to the end.  No matter what it cost.  See this movie to gain respect and a mere glimpse of what it means to give everything for your country.  If you or someone you know is suffering from PTSD, this is not the movie for them.

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars

I talk, you listen. – Takoda

I feel ashamed – Tully

I’m afraid – Scott

Fear is good. Fear is a survival instinct – Tara

He never asked for permission – Frank Pitsenbarger

I’ll go down – William Pitsenbarger

From Abilene to Avalon – Kepper

I was the NFG – Jimmy

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