The Gentlemen Review: Guy Ritchie’s Slick Netflix Crime Series Is Stylish, Violent, and Darkly Funny
The Gentlemen is a 2024 Netflix crime-comedy series created by Guy Ritchie, and it serves as a television spinoff of his 2019 film of the same name. Before getting into the review, it is worth clearing up an important point: as of now, there is no officially released Season 2 in 2026 matching the details in the draft above. The currently available and widely known season is the first one, centered on Eddie Horniman and Susie Glass. So this review is best framed around the existing series rather than a not-yet-established second season.
That said, the spirit of the original article still points toward something true about the show: Guy Ritchie knows how to build a criminal world that feels both grubby and glamorous. In this series, Theo James plays Eddie Horniman, a soldier who unexpectedly inherits his father’s title and estate, only to discover that the family lands are tied to a sprawling criminal enterprise. Buried beneath the polished manners, inherited wealth, and old-money rituals is a business every bit as ruthless as the street gangs Ritchie has spent years mythologizing on screen.
What makes The Gentlemen immediately watchable is its contrast between aristocratic England and organized crime. The show delights in the absurdity of country estates becoming hubs for drug operations, and it mines plenty of dark comedy from watching well-bred elites behave with the same greed, vanity, and brutality as career gangsters. That tension gives the series its identity. It is not just another British crime drama; it is a knowingly exaggerated collision of class satire, gangster swagger, and pulpy violence.
The show’s best idea is simple: the upper class and the underworld are not opposites at all—they just wear different tailoring.
Theo James is a strong center for the story. He gives Eddie enough composure and intelligence to make the character believable as a man adapting quickly to a dangerous new reality. He is not played as a traditional innocent, which helps. Eddie is conflicted, yes, but he is also cool-headed, capable, and increasingly comfortable making hard choices. That makes his arc more compelling than if he were merely shocked by the violence around him.
Kaya Scodelario, meanwhile, brings confidence and steel to Susie Glass, who often feels like the show’s sharpest operator. She understands the business better than almost anyone else in the room, and Scodelario plays her with a mix of control, wit, and underlying menace that keeps scenes lively. Whenever the series threatens to become too self-satisfied with its own style, characters like Susie pull it back into something more fun.
The rest of the cast helps maintain that momentum. Daniel Ings is especially memorable, adding chaos and comic energy, while the supporting players keep the world colorful without making it feel weightless. This is one of those ensemble shows where even side characters often arrive with enough personality to leave an impression.
Stylistically, the series is exactly what viewers would expect from Ritchie. There is snappy editing, flashy music choices, tailored costumes, colorful tough-guy dialogue, and bursts of sudden brutality. When it works, it is enormously entertaining. The show moves with confidence, and even familiar gangster-story mechanics feel energized by the presentation.
Still, the series is not above criticism. Its biggest weakness is that it can feel like Guy Ritchie remixing his own greatest hits. The aristocrats-meet-criminals concept is enjoyable, but the narrative occasionally leans too heavily on attitude rather than surprise. Some plot turns feel less clever than they initially appear, and there are moments when the show seems to assume that stylish direction and eccentric personalities are enough to carry material that is, underneath, fairly conventional.
That does not ruin the experience, but it does keep The Gentlemen from feeling truly essential television. It is very good at being watchable, and sometimes that is enough. The pacing is brisk, the performances are committed, and the atmosphere is polished to a shine. But if you look past the surface, you may notice that the story is not always as fresh as the production wants you to believe.
What works best:
Charismatic lead performances from Theo James and Kaya Scodelario
A clever blend of class satire and crime drama
Ritchie’s trademark visual flair and dark comic energy
Fast pacing that makes it easy to binge
What works less well:
Some familiar gangster beats
A tendency to confuse style with depth
A few plotlines that feel more decorative than necessary
Overall, The Gentlemen is a stylish, entertaining Netflix crime series that knows exactly how to sell its world. It may not reinvent the gangster genre, but it packages old pleasures with enough charm, violence, and attitude to make the ride worthwhile. Fans of Guy Ritchie’s film work—especially those who enjoy his blend of criminal scheming, dry humor, and British swagger—will find plenty to like here.
If the show eventually returns for another season, the real challenge will be avoiding repetition. The first season succeeds because the premise still feels lively and the cast gives it punch. To keep the franchise thriving, future chapters will need more than slick suits, grand estates, and blood-spattered punchlines. They will need genuine evolution. For now, though, The Gentlemen remains an easy recommendation for viewers in the mood for glossy, violent, sharply acted escapism.
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