This review was made possible by an advanced screener of The Gray Man provided by Netflix. The Gray Man releases on Netflix on July 22.
The Gray Man is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Mark Greaney. It follows Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry, aka Sierra Six, a CIA black ops mercenary who goes on the run from the CIA after discovering some of their dark secrets. After being unable to take him down themselves through normal means, the agency hires Lloyd Hansen, played by Chris Evans, a psychotic private sector mercenary to get what they want by any means necessary.
A Black Ops Thriller with Franchise Potential
The Gray Man begins with us learning how Court Gentry found himself in the Sierra program. We quickly find out that the Sierra program is an elite black ops CIA unit who recruits its members from prison — a commuted sentence for a lifelong commitment to the program. They never dive too much deeper into the program or its other members, but if the directors, Joe and Anthony Russo, are looking to eventually expand this universe, those may be stories for the future.
As someone who likes a good story to carry an action film, I think that The Gray Man succeeded in that. It’s interesting enough to carry the film in its slower parts, it’s not overly complicated, but it also doesn’t leave much up to the imagination. For the most part, the viewer knows who the good guys are supposed to be and who the bad guys are supposed to be. There’s never really anything to figure out unless you’re wondering what those dirty dark secrets are and why Denny Carmichael (Regé-Jean Page) of the CIA is so desperate for Six’s elimination. What those secrets end up being, I won’t say, but I will say that in hindsight, it’s obvious and unexpected in the way that one might have been expecting something… more. I do like the flashback sequences, learning more about Six and his past, which ends up tying into a few more characters’ backstories as well.
Big Budget Action with a Bit Too Much Bang
After watching the action scenes, you’ll understand the massive 200 million dollar budget that Netflix gave The Gray Man. Not only is it a globetrotting adventure, shot on location that no doubt took up a lot of that budget, but there is an insane amount of gunfire, car wrecks, explosions — the works. Everything you’d expect from an action film. I think that almost all of it worked in its favour, but where most of it is heaviest, in Prague, I think, could have been cut back by even a few minutes. I think it was a little too over-the-top to the point where I wasn’t sure who was fighting who. However, it was almost as if it was self-aware when Lloyd Hansen asks, “Would someone mind shooting the man handcuffed to the bench?” after there was so much gunfire around Six, but almost never directed at him, considering their goal.
Ryan Gosling plays Six as not the serious, straight action hero, but a man who’s been doing this for far too long and uses dry humour to get through. He doesn’t make too many quips, but enough to remind you that he actually has a personality. My biggest problem with his character is that they build him up to be a black ops spy who’s described as a ghost (Winter Soldier vibes, anyone?) and yet we never really see that from him. They’re almost always on his tail the entire time and, if you expect me to believe this guy is the best at what he does, let him be better.
Chris Evans’ Lloyd Hansen was marketed as a funny, yet clearly insane adversary, and while he’s certainly insane and takes everything lightly and humorously, I wish he had been even more so. Maybe he would have stood out too much against the rest of the very serious agents, but I think they should have let him go a little further. Maybe not full Joker, but I would have liked to see a little more. My favourite bit was definitely Lloyd calling Six a Ken doll, only for the fact that Ryan Gosling will be playing Ken in Barbie next year. Intentional or not, it’s a fun meta joke.
A Strong Supporting Cast (With One Surprising Inclusion)
The supporting cast is excellent; I really enjoyed them for the most part, especially Billy Bob Thornton as Fitzroy. I had been expecting his character to go in one direction, and he ended up being completely different, which I was glad to see. I was mostly surprised to see how much they used Dhanush in marketing and press, considering how small his role in the film is. However, with maybe five minutes of screen time and only a handful of lines, his character is still important to the overall plot.
The look of the film is, no pun intended, grey. It’s very muted, which is maybe fine for a film literally called The Gray Man, but it is definitely also that classic Russo Brothers look, which has drawn criticism in the past. There were a few unique camera shots which I liked, but at the same time, I can only describe them as like being on a 4D roller coaster ride. If you know, you know.
Final Thoughts – ‘The Gray Man’
Overall, I think it’s a fun film that doesn’t get too lost in the action, and it’s certainly never boring, but still could have benefited from a few more minutes shaved from the runtime. There are some changes that I would have made with the characters, but ultimately, I’d say it’s good enough to enjoy, and to me, that’s the most important part.
The Gray Man is currently available in select theaters and streams July 22 on Netflix.
