Guy Ritchie (“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”), the love child of Quentin Tarantino and Tilda Swinton, is back.

His latest, “The Gentlemen,” full of Ritchie rituals — blood and egg rolls, big guns, sharp knives and sweet surprises — is the most fun I’ve had at the movies this year.

Ritchie fills the screen with the top Alpha Dogs of the day: The star is Matthew McConaughey, as Mickey Pearson, an expat mod gangster from rural Texas, who has acquired manners and tweeds, and runs the multi-billion dollar British marijuana business, but still looks like he’s selling Lincolns.

“Downton Abbey’s” Michelle Dockery is here as his Lady MacBeth wife, all tall and tanned and young and lovely, who really does walk like a samba. Michelle has raised the temperature of “Lady Mary” to window steaming levels.

Award winning “Succession’s” wimpy son Jeremy Strong appears as a wimpier but fun elite gangster.

“Crazy Rich Asians'” clean-cut Henry Golding appears as a young, evil Chinese gangster who wants to buy out, or take out, Matthew’s empire.

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“Sons of Anarchy’s” Charlie Hunnam, as Matthews’ elegant, cool and clever right-hand man, Ray, sheds his biker jacket and — here’s the surprise — Hugh Grant and Colin Farrell work in the funnest roles they’ve ever had.

Hugh is an off-the-wall journalist for a sleazy British tabloid, who hides behind drapes, bushes and autos, taking pictures with elephant-sized cameras.

Farrell, in a brilliant Irish way, plays a cockney gym owner with a stable of young black street boys, whom he dresses in cheap tartan gym clothes and sets out in the streets to do his dirty side work. Both actors are superb, working like unleashed stand-up comics.

The movie opens with Grant, all made up like a drugstore version of Harvey Keitel, in tinted glasses and a German leather jacket. He appears in Ray’s (Charlie Hunnam) mansion and starts telling the story of his promising film script, that is really an expose of McConaughey’s life of crime, as we watch it play out.

The London Chinese bad guys, with Golding at their helm, go overboard, painting Ritchie’s racist tones on all their actions, but still they seem to enjoy every move. Hey, it’s a Ritchie film, and he pays well.

Once again, as in Ladj Lly’s explosive “Les Miserables,” all the gunplay and blood and violence are woven around modern tech toys and the kids who employ them.

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When Ray and his henchmen are out on a favor job for Mickey, a junkie gets in the way of their work and “accidentally” slips out of a window.

As he hits the pavement near a couple of the local punks stalking Ray’s car, some street kids take cellphone shots and run away with evidence that could hurt Mickey.

Ray and his gang take off after them. When they all meet in an alley, Ray politely offers them cash for the phone.

They snicker and refuse. Ray is not amused. When they pull their knives, Ray has a bigger, louder response. It’s an applause worthy moment, and I’m happy to say, “The Gentleman” has buckets of them.

“The Gentlemen” will not be at the Oscars this year or next, but too bad. Set your Netflix remote for it. It’s a real fun-loaded upper in a year of downer darkness.

 

J.P. Devine, of Waterville, is a former stage and screen actor.

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