The Nice Guys (1996)

If The Nice Guys was made 20 years earlier.

Directed By: Tony Scott

Plot
In 1977 Los Angeles, a boy named Bobby witnesses the death of fading porn star Misty Mountains (Traci Lords) in a car crash. Later that week, down-on-his-luck alcoholic private eye Holland March (Brad Pitt) is approached by Mrs. Glenn (Sylvia Sidney), Misty's aunt, who claims to have seen her niece alive after her supposed death. March is skeptical of her claim, but realizes that a missing girl named Amelia Kuttner (Winona Ryder) is somehow involved and accepts the job. However, Amelia does not wish to be found and hires unethical enforcer Jackson Healy (Harrison Ford) to intimidate March into staying away from her.

Later that night, Healy is attacked at his home by two unnamed thugs credited as Blueface (Jason Bateman), so named after a dye pack in Healy's briefcase hits his face, and Older Guy (Yaphet Kotto), who attempt to interrogate him about Amelia's whereabouts. After stunning the duo, Healy manages to ward them off with a hidden shotgun. He then teams up with a reluctant March to find Amelia before the thugs do. The two are assisted by Holly (Michelle Williams), March's young daughter, despite March's attempts to keep her out of the case for her own safety.

March and Healey investigate Amelia's protestor group, and pay one of her friends, Chet (Zach Braff) to take them to Amelia's boyfriend, Dean. They find out that Amelia and Dean, an amateur filmmaker, were working with Misty on an "experimental film"—equal parts pornography and investigative journalism—called How Do You Like My Car, Big Boy? about the smog in Los Angeles. Dean, however, mysteriously died in a fire that burned the film. The two end up at a party to search for the film's financier, Sid Shattuck, a notorious pornography producer. After fumbling through the party, a drunken March ends up finding Shattuck dead, while unknowingly coming across Amelia.

Holly, after attempting to investigate on her own, is tricked into a car by Blueface. Healy fights with Older Guy, while Blueface tries to kill Amelia from inside his car, only to be stopped by Holly, who warns Amelia and then escapes with her. While chasing them down, Blue Face is seriously injured in a hit-and-run. As he lies dying in the middle of the road, he reveals to Healy that their boss has dispatched a hit man named John Boy to kill Amelia, March and his family to prevent further witnesses. Healy discreetly strangles Blueface to death to protect March and Holly, and lies to Holly that he died of his injuries. After a brief investigation, the two are greeted by Amelia's mother, Judith Kuttner (Jane Fonda), a high-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice, who claims her daughter is delusional and paranoid and points them towards the Las Vegas mob trying to expand into the Los Angeles pornography scene.

Healy reveals the notepaper with March's address given to him by Amelia is the same type of notepaper he found at the party, one of which leads to an airport hotel where Amelia was going to distribute the film. Upon arriving at the hotel, however, they witness the distributors there being slaughtered and hastily retreat, only to have Amelia jump from the building and land on their car. They take Amelia back to March's house, where she reveals that the people after her are working for a cabal of Detroit automakers. After uncovering evidence that they colluded to suppress the catalytic converter (which regulates exhaust emissions), Amelia created the film to expose their collusion.

Judith has her assistant, Tally (Vivica A. Fox), arrange for March and Healy to deliver a briefcase that supposedly contains $100,000. When March falls asleep while driving and accidentally crashes their car, the case flies open to reveal shredded magazines; the double-cross was a diversion to leave Amelia unprotected. Sent by Tally under the guise of being a family doctor, John Boy (Robert Patrick) attacks Holly before engaging in a shootout with March and Healy as soon as they return to the house. Hearing the sirens of approaching police cars, John Boy drives off while an impatient Amelia has fled the house, only to be killed by John Boy on the street when he inadvertently comes across her attempting to catch a ride.

March and Healy try to bring the matter to court, but are rejected, as they have no evidence, leading them again to search for the film. The two have Mrs. Glenn show them where she saw Misty alive. Inside they find a hidden projector—the nearsighted Mrs. Glenn having mistaken the footage of Misty for her niece—and deduce that there was a reprint of the film. They realize that Chet, a projectionist, is the projectionist of the presentation film for the Los Angeles Auto Show. At the auto show, Healy and March attempt to find Chet, only to be intercepted at gunpoint by Tally. Before she can kill them, Holly arrives while pretending to be room service and knocks Tally unconscious. The two split up to find Chet, and Healy finds him beaten and left in a dumpster by John Boy, and finds out that film has been spliced into the presentation film. March and Holly, meanwhile, are held at gunpoint by Older Guy and brought to the roof. After a brief struggle, both March and Older Guy fall off the roof, with Older Guy falling to his death while March falls into a pool. March and Healy engage John Boy in a shootout, which eventually encompasses thugs for Bergen Paulson, a car company executive, over the film. March recovers the film while Healy subdues John Boy. Healy spares his life at Holly's behest.

March and Healy take the film to the police, and although Judith is arrested, the Detroit car companies escape punishment. When she talks with March and Healy before her trial, Judith claims she did not want her daughter killed and justifies her involvement by insisting that "what is good for Detroit is good for America." Healy and March decide to continue working together as private eyes, naming their agency "The Nice Guys".

Cast

 * Harrison Ford as Jackson Healy
 * Brad Pitt as Holland March
 * Michelle Williams as Holly March
 * Robert Patrick as John Boy
 * Winona Ryder as Amelia Kuttner
 * Vivica A. Fox as Tally
 * Yaphet Kotto as Older Guy (Eddie Harris)
 * Peter Greene as Blueface
 * Sylvia Sidney as Mrs. Glenn
 * Traci Lords as Misty Mountains
 * Charlton Heston as Bergen Paulsen
 * Natalie Portman as Jessica
 * Zach Braff as Chet
 * Jane Fonda as Judith Kuttner
 * Elijah Wood as Bobby

Rating
Rated R.