The Gray ManSecrets have a way of blowing up in your face. The Gray Man is an action movie about an elite and covert agent and assassin for the CIA, referred to predominantly by his code name: Sierra Six (Ryan Gosling), or "Six" for short. After being recruited from prison almost two decades prior by a CIA official named "Fitzroy" (Billy Bob Thornton) in exchange for release, Six finds himself in Bangkok on assignment one night, along with fellow operative, Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas), charged to assassinate a target (Callan Mulvey). Shortly thereafter, Six gets suspicious that the CIA official who replaced Fitzroy, an arrogant and self-serving snake named Denny Carmichael (Regé-Jean Page), is looking to eliminate Fitzroy's legacy...and that includes Six.
|
|
The Gray Man is a spy action thriller in the vein of movies like The Bourne Identity. It is based on the novel of the same name by Mark Greaney, who collaborated with Tom Clancy and continued the Jack Ryan series after Clancy's death. The film is directed by The Russo Brothers (Joe and Anthony), whose credits include the likes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is also a political thriller and action movie. Six is a likable character for a professional killer, quick with a quip and possessed of a generally good-natured disposition. In the first mission in Bangkok where we see Six at work, he defies Carmichael's orders to shoot his target because of a child that walks into the line of fire, and opts to complete his mission hand-to-hand instead. A brief flashback midway through the movie reveals that Fitzroy asked Six to watch his niece, Claire (Julia Butters), for a couple of days, because her relationship to him had been leaked and made her vulnerable to attack. Six saves Claire after a flare-up due to her heart condition, something that necessitates that she wears a pacemaker; he saves her yet again when a would-be assassin infiltrates her home. Six's past is filled with trauma; he had an abusive dad, and he was sent to prison as a minor for murder. Despite this, he keeps an altogether upbeat and laid back attitude, unlike virtually everyone else at the CIA, who are wound tighter than a spring. This is what makes Six so endearing as a protagonist. He isn't a killer by nature, but made into one by the unfortunate events of his past. He doesn't go out of his way to execute his fallen enemies, unlike the sociopathic torturer and leader of a private company of mercenaries and killers who is hunting him: a mustachioed villain named Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans). Lloyd is the polar opposite of Six in behavior and attitude, even though their skills are comparable. Both have an extensive repertoire of training with firearms and martial arts, as well as the inner workings of the CIA. Both also have multiple contacts around the globe to leverage in their escalating conflict with one another. Lloyd tries to quip in a fashion like Six, but his delivery is always just a little awkward or uncomfortable, although he tries to cover it up with arrogance. Lloyd was tapped to deal with Six after the CIA assassin went AWOL following the op in Bangkok, a decision hotly contested by the CIA official Carmichael assigns to be Lloyd's liaison, Suzanne Brewer (Jessica Henwick). And as Lloyd's methods grow from merely unethical to full-blown terrorism, her loyalties appear to be tested.
The Gray Man does nothing to reinvent the genre of a political action movie, but that's okay. Ryan Gosling brings his familiar low-key charm and physical presence to Six. In a way, his occasional quip adds some lighthearted humor in the midst of all of the explosions and gunfights; it reminds me of a riff on Bruce Willis's John McClane of the Die Hard movies. Certainly there are no shortages of political thrillers placing the CIA as a morally dubious agency, nor is the action movie landscape lacking in globetrotting set pieces. The Gray Man was released on (and produced by) Netflix, and was reported to be the most expensive movie they've released, and the movie is far from subtle about this. Aside from the star power, the movie is filled to the brim with action scenes, car chases, and elaborate shot locations spanning the globe. I think The Gray Man features no less than a dozen different locations, so it's pretty easy to get disoriented while watching the movie. Six goes from Florida (nineteen years in the past), to Bangkok, to China (I think) for an extraction to Berlin, but ends up in Turkey, and so on. And there are many more places to visit on this action movie travelogue, including a massive gunfight in Prague and a castle in Croatia! (I feel like we should have a tour guide, or like my wife pointed out, maybe Richard Ayoade should do a season of "Travel Man" all about The Gray Man. Call it: "The Gray Travel Man"...or something.) This is a super violent movie on the basis of all of the gun/knife fights and (almost) enough explosions to satisfy Mr. Torgue (that's for you "Borderlands" fans). And yet, the violence is almost never played for tragedy; in a sense, it has a kind of "video game" quality to it. This is especially true in the Prague set piece; Lloyd's mercenary teams even look like squads out of "Call of Duty" or the like. It's been said that Chris Evans was originally considered for the role of Six; unsurprising given his prior collaborations with The Russo Brothers in the Marvel movies. But along with Knives Out, it seems like Evans is looking to shake up the boy scout screen persona he cultivated with his performance as Captain America by playing something more like "Captain Waterboarding" instead--his first scene involves him torturing someone, and it won't be the last. Evans gleefully chews the scenery at every chance, which is a helpful counterpoint to Gosling's more muted performance as the cool-as-ice secret agent. Light moments of comedy help cut the tension, too. My personal favorite comes after Six has teamed up again with Dani and they are chasing one of Lloyd's assassins--a highly skillful one called "Lone Wolf" (Dhanush). Six tosses a shotgun to Dani who fires at Lone Wolf...only to discover that the gun has no ammo. She chews Six out over the gun being empty, and he tells her that you should never throw a loaded gun, and that he was going to throw the shells next, but she ran off. The two bicker like an old married couple for a minute, and it's good for a few easy chuckles. The most paradoxical thing about The Gray Man, though, is that for such an expensive and competent blockbuster of a movie, the movie plays it too safe for the genre, which unfortunately means that it probably won't be something too memorable a year or two from now. It's kind of the equivalent of gigantic corporate art--it looks cool and you can appreciate the craftsmanship, but it never seems to say anything beyond the superficial.
Recommended for: Fans of high-octane action films with all of the correct ingredients, and a measured dash of political intrigue for good measure. The Gray Man is a fine action flick--if an unchallenging one--and is a perfect example of the kind of background guns and explosions action movies that have and will always fill the landscape that makes up the world of movies.
The Gray Man does nothing to reinvent the genre of a political action movie, but that's okay. Ryan Gosling brings his familiar low-key charm and physical presence to Six. In a way, his occasional quip adds some lighthearted humor in the midst of all of the explosions and gunfights; it reminds me of a riff on Bruce Willis's John McClane of the Die Hard movies. Certainly there are no shortages of political thrillers placing the CIA as a morally dubious agency, nor is the action movie landscape lacking in globetrotting set pieces. The Gray Man was released on (and produced by) Netflix, and was reported to be the most expensive movie they've released, and the movie is far from subtle about this. Aside from the star power, the movie is filled to the brim with action scenes, car chases, and elaborate shot locations spanning the globe. I think The Gray Man features no less than a dozen different locations, so it's pretty easy to get disoriented while watching the movie. Six goes from Florida (nineteen years in the past), to Bangkok, to China (I think) for an extraction to Berlin, but ends up in Turkey, and so on. And there are many more places to visit on this action movie travelogue, including a massive gunfight in Prague and a castle in Croatia! (I feel like we should have a tour guide, or like my wife pointed out, maybe Richard Ayoade should do a season of "Travel Man" all about The Gray Man. Call it: "The Gray Travel Man"...or something.) This is a super violent movie on the basis of all of the gun/knife fights and (almost) enough explosions to satisfy Mr. Torgue (that's for you "Borderlands" fans). And yet, the violence is almost never played for tragedy; in a sense, it has a kind of "video game" quality to it. This is especially true in the Prague set piece; Lloyd's mercenary teams even look like squads out of "Call of Duty" or the like. It's been said that Chris Evans was originally considered for the role of Six; unsurprising given his prior collaborations with The Russo Brothers in the Marvel movies. But along with Knives Out, it seems like Evans is looking to shake up the boy scout screen persona he cultivated with his performance as Captain America by playing something more like "Captain Waterboarding" instead--his first scene involves him torturing someone, and it won't be the last. Evans gleefully chews the scenery at every chance, which is a helpful counterpoint to Gosling's more muted performance as the cool-as-ice secret agent. Light moments of comedy help cut the tension, too. My personal favorite comes after Six has teamed up again with Dani and they are chasing one of Lloyd's assassins--a highly skillful one called "Lone Wolf" (Dhanush). Six tosses a shotgun to Dani who fires at Lone Wolf...only to discover that the gun has no ammo. She chews Six out over the gun being empty, and he tells her that you should never throw a loaded gun, and that he was going to throw the shells next, but she ran off. The two bicker like an old married couple for a minute, and it's good for a few easy chuckles. The most paradoxical thing about The Gray Man, though, is that for such an expensive and competent blockbuster of a movie, the movie plays it too safe for the genre, which unfortunately means that it probably won't be something too memorable a year or two from now. It's kind of the equivalent of gigantic corporate art--it looks cool and you can appreciate the craftsmanship, but it never seems to say anything beyond the superficial.
Recommended for: Fans of high-octane action films with all of the correct ingredients, and a measured dash of political intrigue for good measure. The Gray Man is a fine action flick--if an unchallenging one--and is a perfect example of the kind of background guns and explosions action movies that have and will always fill the landscape that makes up the world of movies.