Netflix's latest attempt at the action movie blockbuster is The Gray Man, which is based on Mark Greaney's 2009 spy thriller novel. For The Gray Man, directors Anthony and Joe Russo re-team with a few of their Marvel Cinematic Universe collaborators, including writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, as well as Captain America himself Chris Evans. For their second directorial effort since closing out the MCU's Phase 3 with Avengers: Endgame, the Russos assembled a star-studded cast: Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Regé-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton and Dhanush. The Gray Man is a spiritual throwback to 80s and 90s action movies, with pulse-pounding fight scenes, delightfully cheesy dialogue, and a wickedly fun villain.
In The Gray Man, Gosling stars as action hero Sierra Six, a member of a covert team within the CIA made up of former criminals recruited by Donald Fitzroy (Thornton) to carry out off-the-books assassinations. When Six is enlisted by the CIA's Denny Carmichael (Page) to eliminate a target, the mission turns out to be more complicated than expected. Six is forced to go on the run, leaving Carmichael to call in the psychopathic mercenary Lloyd Hansen (Evans). Six calls in favors from old friends like former CIA ally Margaret Cahill (Alfre Woodard), and gets help from CIA agent Dani Miranda (de Armas) in order to survive all the killers Hansen drafts to hunt him, including the formidable Avik San (Dhanush). Though Six is one of the CIA's best, it remains to be seen if he'll be able to escape the situation with his life and rescue Fitzroy's niece Claire (Julia Butters) in the process.
The story of The Gray Man, as adapted by Markus and McFeely, is a little convoluted and the movie glosses over much of the CIA politics surrounding the Sierra program, focusing instead on the action set pieces and developing the personalities of its characters — particularly Gosling's Six and Evans' Lloyd. The script itself is chock full of cheesy quips, including, but not even remotely limited to, a comment about Gosling looking like a Ken doll and an order to "make him dead." These are all delivered with just the right amount of panache by Evans, who's devilishly electric as the sociopathic villain. Gosling's Six balances out the outrageous personality of Lloyd with a more stoic and glib action hero, but he's no less entertaining. In fact, when Gosling and Evans go toe-to-toe — either with gibes or fists — they're the most exhilarating scenes in The Gray Man. The Russos knew what they were doing when they cast Evans and Gosling, and the actors deftly deliver performances that feel deliberately tongue-in-cheek rather than overly grim.
Beyond Gosling and Evans, The Gray Man has an outstanding supporting cast, who help to deliver the exciting action and personality that make the movie so entertaining. The supporting cast don't get nearly as much to work with, but they each do well with what they have. De Armas brings some depth to Dani as she works alongside Gosling's Six, and certainly proves her action chops after being underused in No Time to Die. Thornton, Woodard and Butters are serviceable in their supporting roles, but don't necessarily outshine the stars. Dhanush, on the other hand, is a standout in The Gray Man. Though he has a small role, his character is fiercely brutal and proves to be an intimidating foe for Six. His screen presence is such that Dhanush's action scenes are some of the best in the movie. However, if there are casualties of The Gray Man script, it's Page as Denny and Jessica Henwick as Suzanne, both of whom fail to strike the right tone for the movie and who are afforded no help by their own ridiculous dialogue.
Overall, the Russo brothers deliver a thrilling summer popcorn movie with The Gray Man that's elevated by the charismatic performances of Gosling and Evans. In terms of Netflix releases, the movie is akin to 6 Underground and Red Notice — both of which are anchored by Ryan Reynolds — and has similar sensibilities in terms of being a globe-trotting action/adventure movie, but with a focus on espionage. What's more, The Gray Man doesn't rely on Reynolds' specific brand of humor, instead playing to Gosling and Evans' different strengths in terms of comedy. While Netflix viewers may have their own opinions, The Gray Man feels like a step above the streamer's past action movies, offering more exciting fight sequences, more uproarious humor and a more completely entertaining movie experience.
As such, The Gray Man is certainly worth checking out for anyone remotely interested in the story, cast or filmmakers. Because of the excellently executed action scenes, those who are able would do well with watching The Gray Man in theaters as it heightens the experience. At the very least, it's definitely recommended to watch The Gray Man on the biggest screen possible, even for those who view the movie after its streaming release on Netflix. Between the Russos behind the camera and the talent in front of it, The Gray Man is a fun and exciting action thriller. It may be in the vein of cheesy 80s and 90s action movies, but that makes The Gray Man all the more entertaining and rewatchable.
The Gray Man releases in limited theaters on Friday, July 15, followed by a Netflix streaming release on Friday, July 22. The film is 129 minutes long and rated PG-13 for intense sequences of strong violence, and strong language.
