After our initial introduction to Court Gentry aka, Sierra Six, played by Ryan Gosling in a prison speaking to Donald Fitzroy played by Billy Bob Thornton we learn a few things about him. One is that he had a tough life that lead him to kill someone. Two, he is a man of few words and lets his actions do the talking. Does this make him a one-dimensional character in the thrilling The Gray Man? Keep reading to find out.
The Gray Man is the most expensive movie to date that Netflix has released on its streaming platform. The movie was directed by the Russo Brothers, based on the novel The Gray Man by Mark Greaney with a screenplay by Joe Russo, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely. If you are a fan of Marvel movies you know these names and know you are in for some action. Let me tell you that they do not disappoint. After this small introduction scene between Six and Fitzroy, the movie takes off and does not stop.
If you are looking for a spy thriller that has an in-depth storyline and action sequences that are based on real-world physics, the Gray Man is not for you. The plot is pretty straightforward: Take down the corporation that hired you, and the action sequences are insane and plenty. This movie has around 9 action moments, according to Gosling in a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon, that are pretty much jaw-dropping. The Russos use drones in some of these shots that throw you in the middle of the action and sometimes give you a great view of what is going on.
Although the action is intense, the chemistry between the two lead actors is pretty great too. As stated in the beginning Gosling’s Six seems a little one-dimensional. During a fight scene in Bangkok, Six is punched a few times by his target’s bodyguards and he doesn’t even blink when getting hit. It felt like I was watching the T-1000 in a fight scene. As the movie moved along we start seeing the punches land and the winces on his face and see that Six is human.
We see more of his humanity when it is discovered that Chris Evans’ character Lloyd Hansen has been hired to hunt down Six and in an effort to bring him out he kidnaps Fitzroy’s niece, Claire played by Julia Butters. Six has a history of watching over Julia and makes it his mission to rescue her. Through a series of flashback sequences, we witness how Six prevented a few assasination attempts on Julia.
Speaking of assassins, Lloyd Hansen is a fantastic foil to Goslings’ Six. It feels like Chris Evans relishes playing this character and just when you think he can not get any worse, he does. It could be the mustache or the tight white pants, but Evans steals the scenes he is in with his dialogue and off-handed quips. At one point in the movie, he says “Extra ten million to the first guy to put a bullet in this Ken Doll’s brain!” I really want to know if this line was scripted or improvised due to Gosling being in the upcoming Barbie movie.
A stand-out in the movie is Ana de Armas who plays CIA agent Dani Miranda. Ana holds her own with the two main leads and is never a damsel in distress. At one point in the movie, Six mentions that she has saved him twice and wants to return the favor and she basically tells him she doesn’t need saving. This line is correct! The action sequences that Ana is in are intense and her fights with Indian actor Dhanush are fantastic. Both times she fights him you feel the hits that they land on each other and she is a beast with the multiple guns she uses.
While I did not give much away about the plot of the film, except for a throwaway line at the beginning of this review, the plot revolves around a higher-up doing things they are not supposed to do. This information has been placed on a disc and they are doing all they can to get it back. That means hiring Lloyd Hansen and letting him loose on the world to do whatever he wants to take out Six and get the disc. This leads to a chase throughout the world and action sequences that need to be seen to be believed.
Final Thoughts: The Gray Man is a stylish spy thriller that goes full speed from the beginning and does not slow down. The action sequences are huge and should be experienced at a theater if possible. There is a lot of action in the movie along with some fun dialogue from the main two actors. The movie does have some heart to it to balance out all of the action.
Kid-Friendly: This one is up to the parents. Kids might want to see this because it stars Chris Evans but he is not Captain America in this movie. Evans is fantastic as a villain and does and says some things in here that little ones should not see. The action is intense and the body count is high. I would recommend this for children 13 and up.
Violence: There is a lot of violence in this movie from the beginning action scene. There is an interrogation scene that will have you either looking away or biting your nails.
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.
Ryan Gosling is The Gray Man and Chris Evans is his psychopathic adversary in the Netflix/AGBO-produced thriller directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, starring Ana de Armas, with Regé-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton, Jessica Henwick, Dhanush, Wagner Moura and Alfre Woodard. Based on the novel The Gray Man by Mark Greaney, the screenplay is by Joe Russo, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. The producers are Joe Roth, Jeffery Kirschenbaum, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca and Chris Castaldi. Executive producers are Patrick Newall, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Jake Aust, Angela Russo-Otstot, Geoff Haley, Zack Roth, and Palak Patel.