A highly skilled assassin known only as Six (Ryan Gosling), is part of the deep-cover Sierra program constructed by the CIA and is widely regarded as the best in the business. However, after a mission goes wrong, Six finds himself on the run from his own employer, with sociopathic former agent Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans) at the front of the queue when it comes to trying to track down Six. This big budget, highly anticipated Netflix release hit our screens on the 15th July 2022 and is certainly one to watch.
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Writers: Joe Russo, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Billy Bob Thornton, Ana de Armas
As far as blockbuster Netflix productions go, The Gray Man may be up there with the best released by the streaming service thus far. With that being said, it does face some stiff competition, especially from the likes of Extraction (2020), which featured similarly outrageous and unpredictable moments of action during the modest one-hundred and twenty-two minute runtime given.
In terms of the story, sure, it’s one that’s been depicted before in multiple thrillers over the years, but there were rarely moments of boredom and perhaps more importantly, the characters were engaging and interesting enough to become invested in their stories, aided heavily by an intelligent and amusing script. There was certainly enough interest and intrigue for there to be a potential second film in the series.
The relentless action scenes were impressive and the filming locations for the sequences were equally as noteworthy too, with Prague in the Czech Republic featuring heavily, as well as France, Azerbaijan, Austria and the United States. In my view, the cinematography was one of the greatest achievements of the movie, with the majority being bright, colourful and overall eye-catching, especially in the early stages of the flick.
In terms of the cast, it was certainly another area of the film that excelled. Ryan Gosling starred as the lead man, Six, while Chris Evans, Billy Bob Thornton and Ana de Armas provided primary support in their roles as Lloyd Hansen, Fitzroy and Dani Miranda, respectively. Elsewhere, there were even prominent appearances for Rege-Jean Page and Jessica Henwick who both commanded their fair share of screentime.
All in all, The Gray Man came across as a thoroughly enjoyable action flick despite some rather cliché and predictable scenes at times. If you’re able to suspend your sense of realism for the two-hour runtime then you’ll more than likely enjoy this one. The Gray Man is currently streaming on Netflix.
“Just another Thursday.”
Six – The Gray Man
The DC Review Blog - EST. 2020 