Writer and director Guy Ritchie hasn’t really made a “Guy Ritchie” film since 2008’s “RocknRolla,” instead cashing in putting his spin on big budget and big studio ventures like “The Man from U.N.C.L.E,” “Aladdin” (2019) and his Sherlock Holmes series starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.

With his latest foray back to his form in “The Gentlemen,” he tries to capture that same magic he once had. Unfortunately, he misses that mark.

Ritchie’s iconic style of fast-moving scenes of quippy dialogue delivered by rough and tumble Cockney lads is attempted again with virtuosic uses of the f- and c-words peppered throughout.

Immediately, we are thrown into a mystery of circumstance. We meet Fletcher, a sleazy and nasally toned Hugh Grant, as he surprises right-hand-man Ray — played by a soft spoken Charlie Hunnam — as he arrives home.

Fletcher has an offer for his boss, Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey). He will hand over the story (and a film script he’s written based on the events) of how Pearson runs his weed empire, the schemes of all third parties involved and how someone is trying to steal it from him. He offers this up for a fee, of course, otherwise, he’ll sell it all to Big Dave (Eddie Marsan), the editor of a British tabloid.

Fletcher recounts the story for us, and it is through him we see the events that transpired to lead him to Ray’s house, stealing his scotch and getting loose-lipped in the process.

Turns out, Pearson wants out of the drug game and intends to sell to another American entrepreneur and billionaire, Matthew, played by Jeremy Strong. But there is another who wants a slice of the green pie, Dry Eye, a Chinese-Englishman played by Henry Golding, who has a penchant for biting off more than he can chew.

It takes about a third of the movie to just set up all the characters and the predicament they’re in. And if they had any redeeming qualities we might care about what happens to them and what comes next, but we don’t.

Every male character oozes with toxic masculinity and makes obvious choices when faced with a problem, shoot it or spout some poetical nonsense that sounds like a Lincoln commercial. The women … excuse me, woman, isn’t much better. Michelle Dockery plays Pearson’s devoted wife Rosalind who owns and operates a chop/auto shop completely staffed by and catering to women. But there’s little depth to her character beyond being a wife.

The only character with a remotely interesting part is Coach, a boxing coach who will go to the ends of the Earth to help out his students when they make stupid choices (because they’re young and dumb), played by Colin Farrell boasting his native Irish brogue. Sadly, Coach isn’t on screen very long and his part has little impact on the rest of the plot.

It’s pretty clear who the heroes of the story are: rich white men. Everyone else is just set dressing.

The actual set, however, is beautifully crafted with chic styles and colors exuding from every inch of the screen, and Ritchie’s signature quick camera work keeps the pace moving even if the story drags on.

Ritchie’s return to form feels overwrought and unnecessary today, with some casual racism and his standard tough guys peacocking for power in a world that has moved on from it.

“The Gentlemen”

113 minutes

Rating: R for violence, language throughout,  sexual references and drug content

2 stars