By Chris Kavan - 01/22/20 at 09:02 PM CT
Bad Boys were a big draw over the MLK weekend. But the dynamic duo of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are going to have to contend with an all-star cast of gentlemen - and none of them are up to any good. January, thus far, has been pretty unkind to horror films, which is kind of out of the ordinary. Hopefully Mackenzie Davis can turn things around with The Turning, but I'm not counting on anything. With two new entries, January is chugging right along and looking mighty impressive thus far.
THE GENTLEMEN Even through this sounds like either a prequel to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen or perhaps a spinoff from the Kingsmen but, not, these Gentlemen are all about crime. For Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), the British drug scene has been very good and he has built up quite the empire for himself. But all good things must come to an end and Pearson is looking for a much quieter way of life with his wife, Rosalind (Michelle Dockery) - which means his empire is up for grabs. His plan is to sell to American billionaire Matthew Berger (Jeremy Strong) for a cool $400 million. But he isn't the only interested party as Chinese underboss Dry Eye (Henry Golding) makes an offer and a man known as Coach (Colin Farrell) has his own plans, as do the Russians. Meanwhile a tabloid reporter, Big Dave (Eddie Marsan), who has been snubbed by Pearson, has hired a private investigator named Fletcher (Hugh Grant) to dig up any dirt to make Pearson's life hell. Pearson, with the help of his right-hand man Raymond (Charlie Hunnam) must navigate this minefield of rivals, blackmail and doublecrosses to not just make it to retirement but to merely survive. Director Guy Ritchie is no stranger to British action, having brought us the likes of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and RocknRolla. If he can bring that type of intense action again, I don't see why The Gentlemen won't succeed. The question is whether this will be able to dethrone Bad Boys or settle for runner-up.
While past January months have been kind to some low-budget horror films this year nothing has clicked with audiences as both The Grudge and Underwater have failed to impress audiences. Maybe the third time will be the charm for The Turning, based on Henry James' classic Turn of the Screw. Mackenzie Davis plays Kate, a young governess hired to look after Miles (Stranger Things Finn Wolfhard) and Flora (Florida Project standout Brooklynn Prince) following the death of their parents. It also turns out they have had nanny problems already. She soon finds out the children harbor dark secrets - as does the manor - as occurrences have her questioning her sanity as well. James' novel is one of the all-time horror classics and it's no surprise Hollywood keeps going back to this (also look for another adaptation in the second season of Netflix's Haunting of Bly Manor). While I think this looks loads better than The Grudge or Underwater, I still don't know if it will be something audiences are going to fall over themselves trying to watch in theaters. I do think I will look forward to streaming this one but we'll see if it at least does better than the month's previous two horror offerings.
It's going to be an action-packed weekend - and we'll see if audiences are more in the mood for Bad Boys or Gentlemen. I'll be back on Sunday with the results.
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