The Gray Man

Beautiful event led by a poor tram, civilian Gosling and maniacal Evans in seemingly old-fashioned espionage ride - which, however, fails in the scenario so much that I couldn't believe the names of the authors. That this is from the same writers who managed to cleverly, entertainingly and touchingly put together a series of character meetings from different parts of the universe in Avengers? Maybe not. On the other hand, it would explain why the ordinary agents (at that time under supervision) move from one end of the world to the other in a few minutes. It's a shame, the entertainment is pleasantly unrestrained and purely popcorn-like, but unpleasantly often equally stupid. (03/25/2024)

I promised myself I'd take a break from Netflix movies, but that went out the window as soon as The Gray Man dropped – especially since parts of it were filmed in Prague, which always grabs my attention. Unfortunately, it turned out to be yet another letdown. Despite being directed by the Russo brothers and starring the reliably good Ryan Gosling, a surprisingly demonic Chris Evans, and the always stunning Ana de Armas, the film fell flat. The best moments were those set in Prague, where the filmmakers wreaked havoc like an army marching through Europe. Beyond that, it was a mess. The cinematography was dreadful (except for the drone shots, but any enthusiast could pull those off nowadays), and the action was a jumbled blur. For an action film, it was a disaster to watch. It’s mind-blowing that this film had a bigger budget than the current top-tier Top Gun: Maverick. Clearly, something went very wrong. (07/26/2022)

I feel that that writing anything about this film is like carrying wood into the forest. For the grandiose statements of Netflix and the considerable expectations of the audience, it turned out to be kind of mediocre, but, let's be honest, not exactly the rubbish product that was Red Notice (aka the second most expensive Netflix production), and you can have fun with The Gray Man (especially thanks to Chris Evans, who really enjoys the psychopathic villain with the moustache). (09/10/2022)

Compared to Bourne, The Gray Man is a lot dumber and more B-ish. Compared to Bond, it’s less stylish. Compared to Hunt, it’s less imaginative. But if you throw out the attempts to compare to him the greatest heroes of spy-action movies, he actually doesn't come out nearly as bad. The premise is already a B-movie washout, so it probably shouldn't surprise anyone that the movie will be similarly off. The opening scene in Bangkok would easily stand up to a Bond film, but then it takes almost an hour before anything really interesting and entertaining starts happening. And no, I don’t mean trying to go in depth with flat heroes and trying to describe the behind-the-scenes practices of CIA agents who don't even trust each other. Once the action shifts to Prague, however, and the tram set-piece you couldn't help but read about kicks in, it becomes fully apparent that The Gray Man may have had bigger ambitions, but only on paper. If the film and the audience can come to terms with the fact that it's a big overpriced action B-movie, they can enjoy it as much as I did. The Russo's may go a little overboard with the drones and the stunts could have been better handled, but the action is truly spectacular, imaginative and you can see the budget. Chris Evans is a fine asshole, Ryan Gosling doesn't offend, but it's not his life role, and Ana de Armas relies on acting cute even though she has two rocket launchers on her back and a grenade launcher in her hand. If you find that idea funny and entertaining rather than awkward and ridiculous, chances are you'll enjoy this solid action flick. Netflix may have wanted more, and it's not great by any means. On the other hand, if The Gray Man catches on and we get a sequel, I'll gladly spend those two hours with them again. (07/24/2022)

Less would have been more. Take the final man-on-man fight, for example, it’s absolutely brilliant, gripping, entertaining, thrilling and yet quite modestly conceived, and compare it to the main action scene, which unfortunately takes place in Prague, it wants to be spectacular but is at best awkward and gives the impression that it's only in the film because someone wanted it there, even though it doesn't make much sense. This film should ideally have been an hour and a half long and trimmed of the unnecessary stuff and some of the characters, it could have focused more on Gosling's likable bulldog and Evans's 80's funny but not ridiculous villain, it could have kept the action down to earth where it suits the Russo's (the night fight in the house, another great scene). Netflix didn't have to present it so grandly... And it would have been better. (07/23/2022)