{"id":18512,"date":"2022-07-14T15:00:31","date_gmt":"2022-07-14T13:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1680680"},"modified":"2022-07-14T15:14:13","modified_gmt":"2022-07-14T13:14:13","slug":"the-gray-man-review-ryan-gosling-v-chris-evans-is-blockbuster-thrill-ride","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/the-gray-man-review-ryan-gosling-v-chris-evans-is-blockbuster-thrill-ride\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gray Man review: Ryan Gosling v Chris Evans is blockbuster thrill ride"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Emma Simmonds\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 14 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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<\/div> 4.0 out of 5 star rating<\/span> <\/span> <\/div> <\/div>

Don\u2019t be fooled by the drab title, there\u2019s no question that this Netflix-backed thriller is looking to dazzle you. Whilst it might only have a limited cinematic run before hitting the small screen, The Gray Man<\/a> boasts the kind of spectacular action and globe-hopping pursuits more commonly associated with the theatrical experience. With a production budget of $200 million, it\u2019s Netflix\u2019s most expensive movie to date.<\/p>\n

Based on the first in Mark Greaney\u2019s book series<\/a>, it sees Marvel\u2019s finest, Anthony and Joe Russo (who directed four MCU instalments including Avengers: Endgame<\/a>), return to form after their less well-received 2021 war drama Cherry<\/a>. The Gray Man also represents a comeback of sorts for its star Ryan Gosling; it\u2019s his first film since the 2018 Neil Armstrong biopic First Man<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The titular enigma is Gosling\u2019s Court Gentry, aka \u201cSix\u201d, a convicted-killer-turned-ace-CIA-assassin, recruited as part of the top-secret Sierra programme by handler Donald Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton), who has come to view him with avuncular affection. When Six is called upon to take down one of his own, he\u2019s handed an encrypted drive containing damning evidence relating to CIA Group Chief Denny Carmichael (Reg\u00e9-Jean Page), who has been hastily covering his tracks.<\/p>\n

After Six scarpers, Carmichael sends his right-hand psycho, the unscrupulous contractor Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), after him. But with Six trained to be a ghost, he proves a very slippery customer indeed. Julia Butters plays Fitzroy\u2019s precocious young niece Claire, who is kidnapped by Hansen, while Ana de Armas is CIA agent Dani Miranda, who has her own suspicions regarding Carmichael, and Jessica Henwick is Carmichael\u2019s tainted-by-association deputy Suzanne Brewer.<\/p>\n

The one-upmanship between Gosling\u2019s cool customer and Evans\u2019s unabashed and more easily incensed cretin keeps the tension simmering and banter flowing. Casting off Captain America\u2019s righteousness with glee, Evans is clearly enjoying himself as he builds on the deranged levels of entitlement he displayed in Knives Out<\/a>, and does so whilst sporting a real talking point of a moustache.<\/p>\n

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Chris Evans and his moustache in The Gray Man<\/span><\/figcaption> Netflix<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Stephen F Windon\u2019s cinematography could hardly be slicker (he\u2019s a veteran of the Fast franchise, so is well-used to capturing turbo-paced action). And with Joe Russo teaming up with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (who wrote Endgame and Captain America: Civil War<\/a> amongst others) on the screenplay, the dialogue is snappy and knowing, even if the trio succumb to a few too many narrative cliches along the way.<\/p>\n

The film delights in the chaos and destruction as a bounty is put on Six\u2019s head and assassins rain down upon him John Wick-style (it really does a number on Prague in particular). It also owes a significant debt to the Bond series, which is explicitly acknowledged when Six jokes about the number 007 already being taken. The presence of recent Bond girl De Armas is another unavoidable association, though she\u2019s in less of an eye candy role here, with her character\u2019s style more sharp than sexy. Dani is not a particularly pivotal character (the women here aren\u2019t exactly sidelined but they don\u2019t feel as interestingly written as the men), yet she\u2019s a capable accomplice who gets Six out of some tight spots.<\/p>\n

Six\u2019s shift from lone wolf to prospective father figure when he\u2019s called upon to protect Claire also mimics Bond\u2019s arc in No Time to Die<\/a>, whilst reminding us of how well Gosling works with kids (see The Nice Guys for another fine example). But, thanks to the Canadian actor\u2019s irresistible shtick, his protagonist feels very little like Bond; despite Six\u2019s hard body, tough-guy takedowns and taciturn nature, Gosling brings inherent warmth and affability to the role, once again showing a lovely line in faint amusement.<\/p>\n

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Reg\u00e9-Jean Page as Carmichael and Ana de Armas in The Gray Man<\/span><\/figcaption> Netflix<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

If the Russos\u2019 well-honed flair for audacious spectacle is something to be savoured, the impact will undoubtedly be diminished by small screen viewing, so do see this in the cinema if you can. A touch more heft in the, admittedly imaginative, fight scenes and a few more surprises in the script would have been welcome but it undoubtedly sets things up promisingly. With a fundamentally appealing, well-cast hero at its core and a commitment to eye-catching and expensively executed thrills, The Gray Man does more than enough to pave the way for future instalments.<\/p>\n

The Gray Man will be released in select UK cinemas on 15th July 2022, and will available to stream globally on Netflix from 22nd July 2022.<\/strong><\/p>\n