Released: 22nd July 2022 (Worldwide on Netflix)
Length: 129 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thornton, Jessica Henwick, Dhanush and Regé-Jean Page
Pitched as the next big release for streaming platforms, The Gray Man is the latest adaptation to enter a massively crowded genre. Much like last year’s Red Notice, Netflix has thrown a lot of money into the production, bringing in Anthony and Joe Russo to lead the project. It should have been an intense thrill ride; what we get is another throwaway flick with some passable action and not much else.
Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling) aka Sierra Six is a CIA operative tasked with assassinating crucial targets. After completing a key objective, Six quickly realises that he has been targeted for termination and his mission turns into a race for survival with the nefarious Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans) in hot pursuit. The globe-trotting thriller takes us to Bangkok, Croatia and other locations as the two agents attempt to outwit each other. Add in the more personal machinations of Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas) and you’ve got a three-way conflict. The narrative is typical spy-movie fare with plenty of combat and escape sequences, but in terms of pacing and tension it misses the mark. The plot shuffles from one action scene to the next, abruptly triggering the next round of action for fear of boring the audience. The story instead becomes choppy and shallow, rarely slowing down to develop the characters or flesh out their personalities. On occasion, some side players will enter the scene, but they’re rarely used for any purpose outside of information delivery.
Several big names are involved in The Gray Man but none of them are used effectively. The hackneyed plot strips away their charisma and charm, leaving us with a rather unlikeable set of characters. Gosling does what he can in the lead, but when he starts to feel responsible for others, it’s impossible to care due to weak development. Chris Evans brings a cocky side to the antagonist but that’s all there is to his character. Ana de Armas occasionally comes close to real motivation with an agent looking to patch up her ruined reputation; this is quickly put aside during the action. Even Billy Bob Thornton and Regé-Jean Page fail to make impressions as agency officials; both actors are unable to bring any dramatic flair to their performances. Smaller roles for Jessica Henwick and Dhanush are equally hollow, mostly popping up in the action and chiming in with a line or two. It’s ironic that the only character who really works is Claire Fitzroy (Julia Butters). The young actress sells her distress and desperation really well. The main leads are all uninteresting square-jawed grunts with limp dialogue to match.
The only area with moderate success in The Gray Man is the presentation. The hand-to-hand fights are the best aspect of the entire film; clearly they take the right lessons from fellow franchises and keep the showdowns at a wide view. Gosling, Evans and De Armas are all proficient in these sequences, their stunts working well to convey the violence. Unfortunately, that’s where the strengths end. At times the action can feel over-designed or worse, poorly realised. The opening scene in Thailand feels too flashy and exaggerated while one aerial escape sequence is riddled with poorly edited green-screen nausea. It doesn’t help that the cast lacks dramatic weight, otherwise we would be more invested in their personal motives. Choreography and special effects can only get you so far and The Gray Man lacks the substance to rise above mediocrity. The soundtrack is mildly engaging, featuring several modern tracks, but yet again it fails to elevate the proceedings.
In spite of a strong talent set and high funding, The Gray Man is highly generic and unengaging. When it comes to the spy genre, there are so many better options and everyone involved has done far better work elsewhere. A handful of half-decent fight scenes means very little when you don’t care about the players involved and after a single viewing you’ll quickly forget it.
Rating: 2/5 Stars (Disappointing)
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