Warning! Minor SPOILERS ahead for The gray man.
Netflix has notably produced several mediocre action films with A-list stars, but The gray man break this disappointing curse. Directed by the Russo Brothers, who are best known for directing the MCUs Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: EndgameAnd two Captain America movies, The gray man is Netflix’s latest action flick in a long line of big-budget thrillers. Before The gray man movie, Netflix recruited big names like Chris Hemsworth to star in Extraction; Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds in red notice; and Karen Gillan in Gunpowder milkshakeall of which have been controversially or negatively reviewed.
Starring Ryan Gosling as assassin Sierra Six, Chris Evans as villainous Lloyd Hansen, and Ana de Armas as Six’s ally, CIA agent Dani Miranda, The gray man is one of Netflix’s most ambitious projects to date. The film follows CIA assassin Sierra Six after receiving incriminating information about the agency’s head, Denny Carmichael (Regé-Jean Page), which leads to a dubiously sanctioned hit on Six to cover up the tracks of the CIA. As Six escapes an international manhunt, he must also attempt to rescue his former case manager Donald Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton) and his niece Claire Fitzroy (Julia Butters), both of whom are being held by sociopathic mercenary Lloyd Hansen. .
The gray man is by no means a groundbreaking addition to the action-thriller genre, but it’s certainly one of Netflix’s strongest outings in a series of lackluster big-budget A-lister films. Although The gray man has the highest budget of any Netflix movie so far, that wasn’t a guarantee the movie would be any good, because red notice previously held this record before debuting with wrong answers. Netflix’s action movies seem to aim for pure entertainment value, but even so, many have failed to engage audiences with good stories or performances. However, The gray man is easy to digest, has strong performance by The gray man played the lead roles – Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas – and properly invested their budget in executing impressive action sequences, such as Six’s escape during the Vienna shootout.
Why The Gray Man Works When Other Netflix Action Movies Didn’t
That’s not to say Netflix’s previous action movies weren’t at least enjoyable, but that The gray man was able to execute a well-constructed project across the board. The gray man is a decent action-thriller that’s managed to bring together some of Hollywood’s most bankable stars who have proven their skills in the genre time and time again, and though the script is less satisfying in its obvious attempt to set up The gray man 2, the story is easy to follow despite so many moving parts. On the other hand, Netflix’s past action movies like red notice were ultimately convoluted and criticized for overplaying their hands with unconvincing genre cliches. The gray man certainly falls victim to this trend in terms of taking plot points and better movie setups, but manages to do it in a less distracting way.
The film’s greatest asset is The gray man‘s cast, with each character playing to the strengths of the actors, even if that means subverting expectations for their typical roles. Chris Evans, for example, plays a deplorable and irredeemable villain in The gray man, which certainly contrasts with his most famous role as Captain America. Ryan Gosling continues to play a variant of his notable action characters in The gray manas his role in Conduct, who are calmer and more apathetic but still show their hearts when it matters most. Unsurprisingly, Ana de Armas gives a stellar performance in the supporting role of Dani Miranda, continuing her trend of stealing scenes from blockbuster action films after no time to die. The gray man may not be Netflix’s most original action thriller, but it uses its sizable budget in a way that emphasizes the qualities necessary for a decent project in the genre: talented stars with chemistry, an anti -heroes, awesome action sequences, an easy to follow plot and fun storyline.
