10 Spectacular Movies That Helped Redeem 2016

9. The Nice Guys

Throwback movies are usually a disappointment – wallowing in nostalgia and refusing to innovate in any meaningful way – but, The Nice Guys is an exception, using conventions to fashion an experience grounded in a modern sensibility. The premise is immediately compelling, and the characters are appreciable, their contrasting natures – though a staple of the genre – immensely amusing, as well as somewhat refreshing to see in 2016.

The director/writer – Shane Black – the mastermind behind Iron Man 3, brings his trademark charm to the project, and the entire thing has a unique sense of personality, despite its referential qualities, imitating aspects of 80s buddy-cop dramas, as well as pulp detective novels.

The result is a wonderful amalgamation of the two, which somehow balances the conventions of the previous decades, whilst establishing its own unique sense of distinctiveness.