The Gray Man stands as one of Netflix's most expensive and ambitious projects to date, costing a whopping $200 million. Starring actors like Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas, the project has an extremely impressive ensemble cast.
While Ryan Gosling hadn't done many big-budget films in his career, he seems to have changed the trajectory of his career, opting to star in more mainstream projects. Many of the actors involved have been in great action films over the years, working with some of the most talented filmmakers.
Callan Mulvey: Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice
Although extremely divisive, fans have warmed up to Batman v Superman in recent years, thanks to the release of the extended Ultimate Edition, which added much-needed to context to integral scenes. For a long time, it was considered by many to be a film with a great concept but poorly executed. One character that gets more to do is KGBeast, played by Callan Mulvey.
Mulvey has gained notoriety for playing sketchy characters. For a villain like KGBeast, he is the perfect man for the job. The Gray Man marks the actor's third collaboration with the Russo brothers following Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame.
Shea Whigham: F9
First introduced in the soft reboot of the series Fast & Furious, Shea Whigham's Agent Michael Stasiak has become a mainstay supporting character appearing throughout The Fast And The Furious franchise. A recurring gag in the series is that Agent Stasiak has a broken nose every time he's been on screen.
Director Justin Lin spoke of the character's appearance in F9, mentioning "It was a really fun nod to his relationship and the connection to Brian O'Conner. That's something that we were very conscious of, the spirit of Brian. The character is still, obviously, alive and thriving in this universe (via Insider).
Alfre Woodard: Captain America: Civil War
Even though it's a small supporting role, Alfre Woodard delivers one of the best performances in Captain America: Civil War. Woodard plays Miriam Sharpe, a character who also appears in the original comic version of Civil War. In a scene that is almost a play-by-play recreation of a moment from the comic, Sharpe tells Tony Stark how his action caused the death of her son.
The scene is heartbreaking and one of the most pivotal scenes in the film. Although brief, it pushes Iron Man to sign the Sokovia Accords and really drives the plot of the film.
Wagner Moura: Elysium
While it may not be his most memorable film, Neil Blomkamp has shown how versatile he is with both District 9, a great found-footage film, and Chappie. Wagner Moura, also very versatile, plays the sketchy but intense Spider in Elysium, an exciting role.
Moura has an important role as a hacker who facilitates trips to the exclusive utopian society, Elysium. The film also features a fantastic cast led by Matt Damon in a starring role. It is full of fast-paced action and has an original premise.
Billy Bob Thornton: Armageddon
Armageddon is easily one of the best dumb action movies. But while the screenplay is thin, Armageddon features a star-studded ensemble with witty dialogue. There was no better filmmaker than Michael Bay to help launch this epic disaster film.
Billy Bob Thornton appears in a compelling role as the mission control behind the space operation to destroy the incoming asteroid. While the role doesn't really let him show off his acting chops, he's still plays an important role in a film that is such a good time.
DeObia Oparei: Wrath Of Man
DeObia Oparei has quickly become a great supporting actor, appearing in various big projects as of late with the likes of Dumbo, Loki, and Wrath of Man. He plays one of the main bank robbers in the latter film.
Unfortunately, his character must deal with the "wrath of man," as Jason Statham takes revenge on the robbers who shot his son. Directed by Guy Ritchie, the film is a tense action thriller with fantastic actors.
Jessica Henwick: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Originally up for the lead role of Rey, Jessica Henwick's long audition process inspired J.J. Abrams to create the X-Wing pilot Jessika Pava after she, unfortunately, lost the former role to Daisy Ridley.
Henwick plays Jessika Pava and plays an essential role in taking down Starkiller Base, along with the rest of Black Squadron. Although she couldn't appear in The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker due to scheduling conflicts, her character has continued to appear in novels and comics.
Ana De Armas: No Time To Die
Ever since her breakout role in War Dogs, Ana de Armas has consistently given great performances in every film she's appeared in. After working with him in Knives Out, Daniel Craig personally recommended her for the role of Paloma in the latest James Bond entry No Time to Die.
Despite only appearing in the Cuba action sequence, de Armas truly steals the scene playing a rookie agent alongside Bond in one of the film's most suspenseful scenes. de Armas will play another action hero in the upcoming John Wick spinoff, Ballerina.
Chris Evans: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is undoubtedly one of the most exciting films in the MCU. The Russo brothers truly enhanced Steve Rogers as a character and reinvigorated interest in the Captain America series after some fans felt he was boring in The Avengers.
The action is, without a doubt, the focal part of the film, along with the intense story. After delivering great action in their Marvel projects, it's no surprise the Russo brothers were hired for The Gray Man, and casting Chris Evans as the lead villain was certainly the right choice.
Ryan Gosling: The Nice Guys
The Nice Guys might be one of the most underrated films of all time. Lead by a performance that's different from anything he's ever done before, Ryan Gosling plays the paranoid Jackson Healy. The private detective gets caught in a complicated criminal case and finds an unlikely ally in Holland March, played by Russell Crowe.
The film sadly didn't perform very well and many don't even know of the film's existence. That said, The Nice Guys sets up what could have been a great buddy cop action-comedy series.