The Nice Guys: 10 Reasons It's The Most Overrated Film Of The Year

There's a point during most films where the plot kicks into gear, things click, and the movie begins to barrel towards its finale. Usually this happens at around 45 minutes into the film, as the second act begins and audiences have been introduced to all the main characters and important elements.

The Nice Guys feels like a movie concerned only with its characters, though, to the point where they spend the entire length of the film searching for a story that they never really manage to find. In short, it's a mess, and it's surprising that Shane Black - a writer whose career has thrived on his ability to nail a gripping narrative - managed to cook up something so scattershot.

There are also some really basic elements missing from this movie, which might've helped it in the "hitting its stride" department, the most irksome of which concerns the lack of a recognisable villain - a big bad for our heroes to go up against. There are a few candidates, but Black never commits to anybody. How did that happen?

In the end, The Nice Guys ends at a point where it feels like things are only just beginning - like you've witnessed the first half of a much longer film.