Second Sight Films have been producing some wonderful boxsets for quite a number of years now, and this fresh release of Shane Black’s (feasibly) underrated The Nice Guys is another expertly admirable edition for your collection.

Shane Black’s The Nice Guys certainly stands the test of the last 10 years, it remains an acerbic and snappy script, handsomely shot, and packed with dark comic moments and – if anything – reminded me how much we’re missing a little creation outside of the usual genres right now, even alongside a plethora of great indie films popping up.

Set in 1977, we meet Holland March (Ryan Gosling), a somewhat disastrous private eye who’ll take any case going, if he knows he can make some money. He’s the father of young Holly (a superb Angourie Rice), a street-smart daughter who doesn’t trust his trivial lies, but still loves and supports him the best she can, and will become a vital guiding light as the film progresses.

March’s first introduction to his future investigative buddy Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) is a forceful one, via a literal punch to the face, as he’s been hired to ‘inform’ him to stop inspecting the current case he’s stumbled upon. But, in a twist of the situation, they’ll eventually become a duo who are out to discover why Margaret Qualley’s Amelia has disappeared, and why everyone is looking for her, which includes other characters with murderous intent. As March and Healy get deeper into the murky world, they’re entangled into a dark, ridiculous, and violent world, where everyone seems to end up dead… and into the final stages, can they solve the case but also save themselves, from themselves? Well…

It’s been a pleasure to revisit The Nice Guys, an antic-filled comedy-thriller that’s equal parts self-deprecating, brutally funny, and violently slapstick – all wrapped up within a noir vibe (and, yes, we can always discuss whether noir is a genre or a feeling) that’s also a modern detective mystery, an old-school buddy movie, a character desire to do better and also within its own world. It’s a razor-sharp script with two great lead performances from Crowe and Gosling, who both have appealing development, amongst a host of chaos and perfectly formed scenes which celebrate the madness of the situation, but you’re there in the moment – and if anything can pick your more measured Jackson Healy, or alcoholic Holland March, as the character to side with, before you’re in it with both of them.

While it’d be straightforward to frame this as ‘only’ an old-school buddy cop movie, that’d seriously undervalue the wider scope and story from Shane Black, and the extensive extras reveal a lot of truths to help you get inside the story. These are flawed lead characters, yet you probably end up wanting positive outcomes for then – and that journey is unusually rewarding.

For the release, you get the now-standard dual format edition, which is a UHD and Blu-ray containing both the film and bonus features. This envelopes an excellent new 4K UHD master (which looked exceptionally crisp and sharp to me), produced by Second Sight and presented in HDR Dolby Vision, approved by Black. There’s also Dolby Atmos audio produced by Second Sight Films and original 5.1 audio mix, that’s very welcome. The film arrives in an impressively rigid slipcase with connected artwork by Obviously Creative (plus 9 character art cards), plus an astute 150-page hardback book with individual essays from Mitchell Beaupre, Barry Forshaw, Jamie Graham, Justin LaLiberty, Naomi Roper, Hannah Strong and Nadine Whitney – that explore the likes of Gosling’s comedy credentials, the absurdity of the situation, as well as essays on Black’s neo-noir vibe and his action-buddy setups.

The new 2024 interview with Shane Black, ‘Knights in Tarnished Armour’, lets the director get into the bones of it all. He discusses the long-term story development of the film, in terms of the years gone by since the original ideas, plus how many film production companies it’d gone through, as well as plans for TV shows that never came to light. I’m aware this had been discussed in older interviews with Black, but for this Second Sight interview, he’s open and excited about how it came to be, and where it came from along the journey. I also enjoyed his general excitement for all the process, his honest insight into how the industry takes original ideas – even with his success – plus a general love for his cast, crew and what they created.

The interview ‘Finding an Audience’ with co-Producer Ethan Erwin discusses his love for the script, and how he originally read it and was involved, plus filming locations and a general high regard for the movie. I also particularly liked the interview ‘A Thousand Cuts’ with Director of Photography Philippe Rousselot, who’s very much no holds barred when it comes to his views on what he wanted to create with Black, including the lack of a desire to ‘recreate the style’ of the 1970s on film, i.e. as the sets and clothing would speak for itself – and shooting on digital was a preferred format because when something is comfortable, then do what feels right if that’s going to help it look its best. He also examines his favourite framing, film format and the importance of the entire process, and was clearly excited to be a part of Shane’s world.

And, then, bringing it all together is Leigh Singer’s visual essay ‘From Lethal Weapons to Nice Guys’, which takes us on an enjoyable and insightful journey with duos on film through the years, that film noir edge (which is a huge part, of course) and particularly Shane Black’s influence on the action Hollywood world film, as he did write Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout and The Long Kiss Goodnight – across to the brilliant Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black’s debut feature believe it or not) and then onto The Nice Guys, reminding us that when he’s directing his own writing, everything is a bit more nuanced but not too perfect because those elements are everything, and why the film works so well.

The Nice Guys is full of great one-liners and memorable moments, alongside its characters earnest heart at the centre of everything, even if it’s within flawed, not perfect people, it is the association of self and that chemistry that pulls us in. Crowe and Gosling, alongside an excellent ensemble cast also including Rice, Qualley, Yaya DaCosta, Lois Smith, Jack Kilmer, Keith David, Beau Knapp, and the class of Kim Basinger, is what makes it work so well. So settle in, and embrace every beautifully absurd near-death experience, because this is what film escapism (even at home) is all about.

The Nice Guys Limited Edition set, plus 4K UHD and Blu-ray Standard Editions, are out now: https://amzn.to/3Zz2wlD

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Special Features 

• Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs
• New 4K UHD master produced by Second Sight Films and presented in HDR Dolby Vision approved by Director Shane Black
• New audio commentary with Shane Black and Co-Writer Anthony Bagarozzi moderated by Writer Priscilla Page
• Knights in Tarnished Armour: a new interview with Shane Black
• Finding an Audience: a new interview with Co-Producer Ethan Erwin
• A Thousand Cuts: a new interview with Director of Photography Philippe Rousselot
• From Lethal Weapons to Nice Guys: a video essay by Leigh Singer
• Always Bet on Black
• Making The Nice Guys: Worst. Detectives. Ever.
• Cast Interviews
• Trailers

Limited Edition Contents

• Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Obviously Creative
• 150-page hardback book with new essays by Mitchell Beaupre, Barry Forshaw, Jamie Graham, Justin LaLiberty, Naomi Roper, Hannah Strong and Nadine Whitney 
• 9 collectors’ art cards