Cinematography:
Stephen F. WindonComposer:
Henry JackmanCast:
Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thornton, Jessica Henwick, Julia Butters, Dhanush, Alfre Woodard, Regé-Jean Page, Wagner Moura (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
The Gray Man is CIA operative Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling), aka, Sierra Six. Plucked from a federal penitentiary and recruited by his handler, Donald Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton), Gentry was once a highly-skilled, Agency-sanctioned merchant of death. But now the tables have turned and Six is the target, hunted across the globe by Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), a former cohort at the CIA, who will stop at nothing to take him out. Agent Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas) has his back. He’ll need it. (Netflix)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (11)
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.
()
I vividly remember how excited I was about this project when it was first announced. Spy thrillers are always welcome, especially under the direction of skilled filmmakers like the Russo brothers and with such a stellar cast. However, as first photos, information, teasers, and trailers surfaced, my expectations gradually dropped several notches; everything felt rather sterile. Unfortunately, though The Gray Man ends up being a decent action flick that doesn’t disappoint, with constant new locations and plenty of action so you won’t get bored, the overall routine nature is hard to ignore (the ambitions seemed to be in entirely different realms). The acting was fine, although Gosling seemed to wear just one expression throughout the film. At least Chris Evans enjoyed playing the unrestrained sociopathic villain (he honestly carried the film on his shoulders). Ana de Armas as the CIA agent was also a highlight. As mentioned, there are numerous adrenaline-pumping sequences, but the excessive digital effects were irritating. Whether it was the plane crash, the poorly edited and sound-designed shootout (which, despite looking decent, was a letdown), the tram chase through Prague (terrible CGI), or the final epilogue in Croatia, the over-the-top artificiality was unappealing. I really don’t understand where the $200 million went; I’d understand a quarter of the budget for what we got. The story didn’t captivate either, being full of clichés at every turn. The relationship between Gosling and the little girl was nice, but that’s about it. The word “DECENT” kind of sums up my feelings after watching it. Watch, enjoy, forget. I can’t believe they’re planning a trilogy. This doesn’t come close to the quality of Bond, Bourne, or MI. What a shame. I give it a slightly above-average 5.5/10. The disappointment of the year for me. P.S. At least the fights with Indian star Dhanush were worth it :) ... After reading the book (which I’d rate about 7.5/10), I have to lower my rating (around 4.5/10). It’s really sad how the adaptation cut down the source material. The lack of tension, which relies on Gentry being hunted by a dozen elite international teams, is noticeably missing here :(
()
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.
()
The locations change like on a treadmill, but the problem is that the you can’t see the 200 million USD budget at all. Most of the film takes place in dark interiors, so the viewer's eye doesn't feed and the few camera flyovers with drones don't save the day. And the action? There's little that's truly memorable and when there is it's dull, lacking any ideas or technical flourishes; Paul Greengrass should give these brothers some lessons in directing action scenes because the result here is dull. The only highlight is Prague and its several-minute tram rampage, but even that didn't raise my pulse, any action passage from Bourne has much more balls. The only bright spot is the one I wouldn't have expected: Chris Evans is excellent, and although his role might tempt one to overplay it, he holds back reasonably well until the end, which is more than enough for a psychopath par excellence, also, the porn-stache does its bit too. Netflix is slowly becoming a synonym of money dump.
()
It's hard to believe that the brother duo who directed one of the best action movies of the last decade (Captain America: Winter Soldier) are behind The Gray Man. The difference in the execution of the action scenes, especially the work with the editing and sound mixing, is enormous, almost like something from another world. Their new feature is, of course, a narratively archetypal scheme seen hundreds of times. And, while apart from the brilliant Evans, Robert Redford was in charge with a stony face and elegance of his own, here we get at most the gay-looking Bridgerton hunk, a very significant drop in quality. Gosling plays Gosling – i.e., the same soft-spoken cool dude who can put up a decent fight, but there's not a single coherent, raw and dynamically shot action scene, except for Prague. The destruction of Prague doesn't abound with the given criteria either, but at least it has some kind of pace and one can enjoy it a bit more out of sentiment than the rest. The best part is the wrecking of the headquarters of Unicredit Bank, thumbs up for that. I'd probably give the sequel a chance, but with a complete rewrite. This is very, very far from Bourne, Hunt or the last Bond.
()
Ads