The gray man is not a gray area!!
Hello movie buffs and welcome to the House of Macleod movie review corner!
Today we take a look at THE GRAY MAN (15.2h 2m, 2022) Starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thornton, Jessica Henwick, Dhanush, Alfre Woodard, Regé-Jean Page and Julia Butters.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Mark Greaney. THE GRAY MAN is one of those films, you know them. The kind of movie that gets an average score from Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes but actually turns out to be a pleasant surprise. That's what I liked about THE GRAY MAN, it was a nice surprise. The night before I started I asked the Head Geek if he liked it and he said he did. So I thought I could do some action, so I turned on Netflix and grabbed my gluten-free garlic herb crackers. As I said before, I was pleasantly surprised. From the opening sequence in Bangkok, I knew this film had a little more than heart. I also know what the Russos can do with a little action, but this movie hits the road and doesn't stop. I've read similarities in its style and pacing to the great John Wick movies and that's a 100% fair comparison. The action style mixed with martial arts really works for the movie and it manages to offer some things that other movies haven't. For example, Ana de Armas kicking a whole truckload of ass. Don't get me wrong, I loved NO TIME TO DIE, but he introduced De Arma's character "Paloma", let us know her, gave her a great action sequence, and then the movie was done with her. De Armas is a terrific actress and can more than hold her own in a fight scene, the Russo Brothers obviously understood that and gave her the amount of action she deserves.
It was a little strange to see Chris Evans playing asshole mercenary Lloyd Hansen with my god, such a terrible mustache. Evans plays it super asshole. Almost like he was trying to distance himself from Captain America. Fair enough for him, nobody likes to be typecast, but in my opinion he overdid it and not in a good way like Jim Carrey.
Ryan Gosling plays the titular hero of the story and does it very well. In all honesty, his character doesn't say much in terms of dialogue but it wasn't the script that made me love his "Sierra Six" character, it was the story. Six isn't quite James Bond, nor is he Ethan Hunt. His character lands nicely in between and that suits Gosling just fine. It's definitely a role I'd love to see him play again. There are times when THE GRAY MAN is 1000% amazing and opts for the giant action sets such as the shootout sequence in Prague. While fun to watch, it sometimes goes a bit too far, with mercenaries seemingly popping out of nowhere RPGs and such. As I said earlier, this film has a little heart and it shows through the story of Billy Bob Thornton with his daughter, the emotional core and half of the hero's motivation. It's very well done and encourages you Six and company to save her and the day. Another thing I liked about this movie was that it was about spies and I knew exactly what was going on throughout the movie. Take films like THE BOURNE SUPREMACY for example, although the big players tend to get bogged down in their own spy game by using far too much jargon and terms your average viewer may not understand. THE GRAY MAN does without and delivers a solid spy thriller without the annoying spy language that very few of us can actually speak. Regé-Jean Page is brilliant as rising CIA star Denny Carmichael, and plays the role with just the right amount of nervous sleaze you'd expect from someone in his position. I can see why his name is being considered for James Bond, he has the right kind of cool required and he shows it with aplomb while Jessica Henwick really gets to grips with her role as Suzanne Brewer, Carmichael's right hand, who is slowly losing control increasingly unstable and dangerous Hansens. All in all, I'm glad I met THE GRAY MAN and I think you are too.
If it's action you're looking for with a decent story, then THE GRAY MAN is for you. Sit back, fire up Netflix and enjoy the show.
A must watch, despite what critics say - 8/10
Hello movie buffs and welcome to the House of Macleod movie review corner!
Today we take a look at THE GRAY MAN (15.2h 2m, 2022) Starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thornton, Jessica Henwick, Dhanush, Alfre Woodard, Regé-Jean Page and Julia Butters.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Mark Greaney. THE GRAY MAN is one of those films, you know them. The kind of movie that gets an average score from Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes but actually turns out to be a pleasant surprise. That's what I liked about THE GRAY MAN, it was a nice surprise. The night before I started I asked the Head Geek if he liked it and he said he did. So I thought I could do some action, so I turned on Netflix and grabbed my gluten-free garlic herb crackers. As I said before, I was pleasantly surprised. From the opening sequence in Bangkok, I knew this film had a little more than heart. I also know what the Russos can do with a little action, but this movie hits the road and doesn't stop. I've read similarities in its style and pacing to the great John Wick movies and that's a 100% fair comparison. The action style mixed with martial arts really works for the movie and it manages to offer some things that other movies haven't. For example, Ana de Armas kicking a whole truckload of ass. Don't get me wrong, I loved NO TIME TO DIE, but he introduced De Arma's character "Paloma", let us know her, gave her a great action sequence, and then the movie was done with her. De Armas is a terrific actress and can more than hold her own in a fight scene, the Russo Brothers obviously understood that and gave her the amount of action she deserves.
It was a little strange to see Chris Evans playing asshole mercenary Lloyd Hansen with my god, such a terrible mustache. Evans plays it super asshole. Almost like he was trying to distance himself from Captain America. Fair enough for him, nobody likes to be typecast, but in my opinion he overdid it and not in a good way like Jim Carrey.
Ryan Gosling plays the titular hero of the story and does it very well. In all honesty, his character doesn't say much in terms of dialogue but it wasn't the script that made me love his "Sierra Six" character, it was the story. Six isn't quite James Bond, nor is he Ethan Hunt. His character lands nicely in between and that suits Gosling just fine. It's definitely a role I'd love to see him play again. There are times when THE GRAY MAN is 1000% amazing and opts for the giant action sets such as the shootout sequence in Prague. While fun to watch, it sometimes goes a bit too far, with mercenaries seemingly popping out of nowhere RPGs and such. As I said earlier, this film has a little heart and it shows through the story of Billy Bob Thornton with his daughter, the emotional core and half of the hero's motivation. It's very well done and encourages you Six and company to save her and the day. Another thing I liked about this movie was that it was about spies and I knew exactly what was going on throughout the movie. Take films like THE BOURNE SUPREMACY for example, although the big players tend to get bogged down in their own spy game by using far too much jargon and terms your average viewer may not understand. THE GRAY MAN does without and delivers a solid spy thriller without the annoying spy language that very few of us can actually speak. Regé-Jean Page is brilliant as rising CIA star Denny Carmichael, and plays the role with just the right amount of nervous sleaze you'd expect from someone in his position. I can see why his name is being considered for James Bond, he has the right kind of cool required and he shows it with aplomb while Jessica Henwick really gets to grips with her role as Suzanne Brewer, Carmichael's right hand, who is slowly losing control increasingly unstable and dangerous Hansens. All in all, I'm glad I met THE GRAY MAN and I think you are too.
If it's action you're looking for with a decent story, then THE GRAY MAN is for you. Sit back, fire up Netflix and enjoy the show.
A must watch, despite what critics say - 8/10
What's Your Reaction?
![Three of ID's top PR executives quit ad firm Powerhouse [EXCLUSIVE]](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ID-PR-Logo.jpg?#){kind=logo}
