House of Gucci ★★★★

Ridley Scott

Starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek

Ridley’s Scott’s second entry of 2021 is pure Oscar bait that’s undoubtedly Oscar-worthy. House of Gucci boasts an outstanding cast in stellar fashion with a killer look to die for.

The story of Patrizia Reggiani’s rise to power as the wife of fashion empire heir Maurizio Gucci, is another tale lost in time with enough drama and glamour to elevate House of Gucci beyond its simple Rags-to-Riches premise. It’s uplifting yet tragic to watch these real events unfold and that’s all down to Gucci’s core ingredient: It’s phenomenal cast.

Lady Gaga delivers a stunning performance arguably better than her Oscar nominated role in A Star is Born, proving she has the acting ability to match her musical talents and esteemed co-stars. It’s difficult to see another actress with the same calibre role as any sort of competition this year.

Adam Driver delivers an equally compelling performance as Maurizio providing an array of layers to a role that could easily have been the manipulate one note husband. It’s almost expected of Driver to turn anything he touches to gold at this point and that’s certainly the case here.

Additionally both Al Pacino and Jared Leto should be commended for their roles as Aldo and Paolo Gucci after receiving bad press for some of their previous endeavours, it’s liberating to see them shine in a pristine epic such as this.

Although the cast is certainly the highlight of the movie, Ridley Scott’s direction and the overall look of Gucci, down to the location and lighting creates an enriching atmosphere that fills the audience with the same hunger for wealth that consumes our characters. It amplifies what an already unstoppable force could already achieve and thus solidifies the film as a strong contender.

Music is another key element of the film's success as each song gives you a clear indication of the passage of time without the need to clearly display it on screen, improving the overall flow and pacing across its extensive runtime.

Sadly, while Gucci’s ending makes a clear effort to be as compelling as possible, it fails to escape the cliché trap that most films of the same nature fall into. It builds to a moment you know is coming and takes it’s sweet time to get there, but leaves no room for you to process that moment before the credits come rolling.

Without a doubt House of Gucci will be a clear favourite among fans of its two leads and the Academy for its glorified retelling of a truly wicked spiral of events, altogether weaponised by its incomparable killer cast.

House of Gucci available in cinemas now