Dirty Hands in a Dry Cleaned Suit
Guy Ritchie is not one to stray away from intricate storylines, action-packed scenes, or raunchy comedy, and his latest installment is a testament to his unique storytelling. The Gentlemen intertwines the lives of seven dignified individuals, all with a stake in Mickey Pearson’s noble cannabis trade. However, inspecting Coach’s role in the narrative reveals striking similarities to the other forms of narco-entertainment produced in popular culture.
As a mentor and a professional, Coach feels responsible for his students’ actions, especially regarding the law. When a group of fighters known as “The Toddlers” break into Mickey’s warehouse and steal his marijuana plants, Coach approaches Raymond with an offer to repay the debt caused by his apprentices. Furthermore, he offers his loyalty to Mickey in return for amnesty for his boys (Ritchie, 1:05:06). As a result, Coach is forced to assume a role in the ensuing drama as Mickey’s empire begins to crumble. Within the drug trafficking narrative, Coach embodies the innocent bystander who, compelled by unfortunate circumstances, is reluctantly drawn into the world of illicit drugs. Coach’s position within Mickey’s empire offers an interesting insight into a much larger global problem: the relationship between prohibitionist drug legislation and “innocent” developing countries. In their book, Innocent Bystanders: Developing Countries and the War on Drugs, economists Philip Keefer and Norman Loayza illustrate the detrimental impact of prohibitionist policies implemented by first-world countries in their efforts to combat drug consumption. Developing countries, unfortunately, bear the brunt of these global legislations, paying a heavy price for the actions of more affluent nations. Similarly, Coach’s association with Mickey’s operations suggests the unfortunate universal reality that innocent players often find themselves entangled in the world of illegal drug trafficking.
Coach’s position within Mickey’s empire mirrors Maritza’s role in Netflix’s, Narcos. A fictional character written to show the horrors the Medellín cartel wreaked on the innocent, Maritza, played by Martina García, is initially dragged into the conflict by her childhood friend, Limón. After being convinced to act as Limón’s taxi passenger with Pablo Escobar unknowingly in the trunk, Maritza is forced into the world of Escobar, a world she never escapes. Her life is determined the moment she agrees to help her friend, and although she spends the rest of the season attempting to escape the cocaine trafficking world, she is consistently dragged back in. In episode four of season two, Maritza curses Limón, saying, “Because of you my daughter and I have to live in hiding… You killed me by putting me in your fucking taxi” (Brancato, 0:22:37). Coach is similarly dragged into the cannabis trafficking world as an outside character whose association with specific people pulls him into the conflict. The two plotlines display the detrimental effects illicit drug trafficking can have on the innocent. As Escobar’s empire disintegrates, his shadow follows Maritza until her tragic death. Similarly, as Coach aids Raymond, his life becomes increasingly intertwined with the violence that follows. Although narco entertainment may inadvertently romanticize narco culture and history, the stories of Maritza and Coach serve as a reminder of the individual tragedies that occur as a result of illegal drug trafficking.
Throughout the film, Coach attempts to navigate the drug industry professionally, fulfilling his promise to Mickey while maintaining his moral compass. However, his involvement with Mickey forces him to commit acts of violence, ultimately corrupting his character. This transformation gets at the heart of Ritchie’s story: professional gentlemen operating an inherently unprofessional market. The contradiction between the player and the game causes an internal struggle for both Coach and Mickey as they grapple with upholding their principles while simultaneously resolving the conflict. While trying to retire, Mickey is reminded that illegal drug trafficking is not a business for gentlemen. To be successful in the drug world, he has to dirty his hands, and dirty hands are hard to retire. One study by sociologists Peter and Patricia Adler analyzes attempts by upper-level drug dealers to retire from their drug trafficking practices. Similar to Mickey’s case, the study finds that “what dealers and smugglers intend, at the time, to be a permanent withdrawal from drug trafficking can be seen in retrospect as a pervasive occupational pattern of mid-career shifts and oscillations.” Many reasons can cause dealers to return to the field, such as the addictive lifestyle, invested careers, and failure to find other work. However, it is clear that for successful drug competitors, attempts to retire the business are strenuous. Additionally, the study finds that once out of the business, high-level drug traffickers often experience little financial success as they struggle to assimilate back into conventional society. “Phasing-out of the drug world was more often than not temporary,” the Adler study states. For Mickey, the endless cycle of competition and drama perpetuated by his cannabis empire eventually encourages him to remain in business, affirming the study of mid-career oscillations observed by the Adlers.
Although The Gentlemen is a fictional story filled with action and comedy, elements of the narrative reflect the reality of drug trafficking. As the conflict unfolds, characters with little involvement in the operations, such as Coach, are forced to play decisive roles, ultimately consuming them in a world inherently opposed to their nature. Additionally, close observation of Mickey’s attempt to retire from the industry illuminates the severe reality of drug smuggling and the inescapable history accompanying it. As narco entertainment seeks to monopolize the violent history of drug production and consumption in the Americas, various other stories of drug trafficking similarly communicate the harsh realities of drug operations worldwide. Reflecting on the narrative created by Ritchie in The Gentlemen, the question arises: How far from reality are the lives of Mickey Pearson and the Coach?
