House of Gucci (2021)

Directed by: Ridley Scott | 158 minutes | crime, drama | Actors: Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Jared Leto, Jack Huston, Salma Hayek, Alexia Murray, Vincent Riotta, Gaetano Bruno, Camille Cottin, Youssef Kerkour, Reeve Carney, Florence Andrews, Mehdi Nebbou, Miloud Mourad Benamara Andrea Piedimonte Bodini Vincenzo Tanassi Mauro Lamantia

Ridley Scott is an extraordinary director. At 84 years old, the bearded Brit can rightfully be called a film veteran and he is still behind the camera. He still has his work ethic and his production speed is very high. Two of his films appeared in cinemas in 2021. Medieval drama ‘The Last Duel’ and something called ‘House Of Gucci’. Yes, it does say ‘something’ and not a ‘film’. This release is not too good and Scott unworthy.

‘House Of Gucci’ revolves around Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver). This designer heads the fashion house of the same name. So far so good, but when the designer wants to get rid of his wife, things go wrong. In 1995, Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) plans to kill her ex-husband. The lady lets a hit man do the dirty work but is later caught by the police and put in jail.

Scott follows the story based on true events fairly faithfully but fails to present a serious film due to downright strange decisions. It starts with the choice to have all the actors speak with a strange Italian accent. It’s ridiculous to hear Americans like Driver, Gaga, Jared Leto and Al Pacino speak in a caricatured accent. It is hugely distracting and is no longer of this time.

Leto in particular (unintentionally) makes you laugh. The actor hid behind a thick layer of make-up and crawled into a fat suit. He is unrecognizable and goes completely over the top as Paolo Gucci, whom he portrays as a clownish caricature and not as a human being of flesh and blood. Leto’s acting is in stark contrast to Driver and Gaga’s fairly subdued playing. He seems to be in a very different kind of movie and it’s a mystery why. Maybe Scott was always on the toilet when Leto was in front of the camera?

Scott’s goal was to tell an intriguing story of family feuds, revenge and power. He presents a melodramatic soap full of unbalanced acting but with beautiful costumes and sets. There is a beautiful film hidden somewhere in this 158-minute piece of work, but that version does not come out. Sometimes you have fun with the silly Leto or with the tight playing of Driver and Gaga, but on the whole this film is mainly a succession of irritating choices and ditto accents. ‘House Of Gucci’ is not a good film – far from it – but an interesting one. This production raises a lot of questions about stage directions made. ‘The Last Duel’ showed a filmmaker in shape and ‘House Of Gucci’ a man who has lost his way.