Vengean vs Vengean #1-The Gentlemen's Agreement

VENGEAN's creative leads Bram Holzapfel and Annis Anakotta hash it out over all things art, pop culture and narrative design through the lens of branding. The challenge: one of them has to be the designated hater, even if his heart isn’t fully in the fight… Today’s topic: Guy Ritchie’s Netflix television expansion, The Gentlemen.

Bram: I’ll fight anyone in the room on this one: The Gentlemen on Netflix is a masterclass in brand extension. Guy Ritchie took a 2-hour cinematic IP, translated its entire brand DNA into an episodic series, and kept the swag intact without losing an ounce of stopping power. It’s sleek, kinetic, dripping with upper-class aristocratic smoothness, mashed together with grime-covered British underworld grit. Pure visual storytelling with a razor-sharp narrative hook and ditto dialog. Worthy of a headline campaign.

Annis: As an Art Director, I’m supposed to bow down to the bespoke tweed, the cinematic color grade, and that signature slow-mo violence. But as today's certified hater… I have to call bullshit. Isn't it just recycled Guy Ritchie self-plagiarism? It’s the same old tricks: sharp suits, snappy dialogue, cockney gangsters, and an aristocrat who happens to be remarkably comfortable with a shotgun. Once you’ve seen Snatch or the original movie, you’ve seen this. It tricks the viewer into feeling like they're watching something fresh, when it's really just brand repetition on a conveyor belt.

Bram: But hey, isn't repetition rooted in a solid, unique brand narrative and executed with pristine craft, exactly what builds an iconic, undeniable brand? Look at world-class cultural brands or high-fashion houses. They don't throw out their signature motif every three years; they double down and refine it. What Ritchie does here is take a high-concept contrast - the ultra-refined English nobility hiding a subterranean weed empire - and give it room to breathe across eight episodes. That tension between aristocratic elegance and street-level anarchy is the core identity. It’s image-plus-attitude doing all the heavy lifting, backed by a soundtrack that sticks like a Sicilian hitman.

Annis: Sure, the aesthetic is glossy, but where’s the soul? Theo James looks like he walked out of a Barbour lookbook, Kaya Scodelario glides around looking effortlessly icy, but after episode three, the format feels lazy. Problem arises, eccentric mobster appears, quick violent montage, solved with a cheeky smirk. It’s too easy. And frankly, a bit self-indulgent. Where is the actual storytelling innovation? Are we just rewarding a director for making an extended director's cut of his own career portfolio?

Bram: Oh come on, I feel sorry for you man! You’re actively wrestling your own enjoyment to find something wrong here. Look at the sea of bland, middle-of-the-road streaming brain rot polluting our screens every weekend. I can make that comparison straight with the world of business. The Gentlemen knows exactly what it is, hits its beats with groove, and delivers an adrenaline-fueled world you actually want to spend time in. That’s not self-plagiarism; that’s a master craftsman working at the absolute peak of his franchise's powers; Guy Ritchie knows his brand and consistency has once again paid off.

Annis: Alright, alright, fine, I give up... I binged the new season in two nights. The whole thing had me at the chicken suit scene in season one and never let go. No ifs, hands, or... tailfeathers.

Bram Holzapfel is co-founder and executive creative director of VENGEAN, the boutique international creative branding agency that’s energising enterprise for startups, scaleups and corporations that never stop starting and scaling, with a vengeance. Annis Anakotta is creative director (art) at VENGEAN.

www.vengean.com

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