The Gray Man: Movie Review
- By Shargeel Sheikh -
- Jul 27, 2022
“You’d be part of the elite unit, the Sierra Program. You would exist in the gray”
Courtland Gentry aka Ryan Gosling is comforted by his new unexpected lawyer Donald Fritzroy as he plans to commute his prison sentence, on the condition that Courtland trains with the CIA and becomes a certified government assassin- you know, the ones who kill the bad guys.
This is perhaps the last time we hear Courtland being called by this name of his. Throughout the movie, Ryan Gosling is notoriously addressed as Sierra six.
There is so much more in this film. As if people were longing for it, a smooth and compelling combination of action and adventure, complimented by an apex cast of actors and directors behind some of the esteemed tentpole Hollywood productions.
Fast forwarding to Eighteen years later in Bangkok, during a clandestine mission, Sierra Six goes rogue after discovering secretive CIA information.
The government is adamant in bringing him back and would do anything. This may even involves hiring another assassin to hunt down this one. And it happens as the psychopath-esque Lloyd Hansen aka Chris Evan joins the CIA bandwagon. What follows is a spate of scintillating high-speed chasing, drifting, crashing, and firing scenes enough to effuse all.
‘The Gray Man’ pretty much lives up to its hype. It stars some of the most talented and attractive faces in the contemporary market of actors: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana De Armas. Not only this, the relation between these actors is highly vivid and enthralling, especially when it comes to Gosling and Evans.
It is one of the most expansive movies ever made by Netflix ($200 million). The OTT plans bets high on this one. A product of Russo Brothers, The Gray Man is pretty much derived from their world and contributes to the dept of its story, for the major part at least. With a decent storytelling and exceptional direction of extraordinary scenes, The Russo Brothers have ensured that The Gray Man turns out to be the bang for the buck.
Gosling’s character Siera six is basically the protagonist here. He carries a dark past with memories we little get to here of . Siera six is a calm personality, even in the toughest of the situation. The guy possesses super high confidence and is adept in performing has job.
Not to mention that despite being a ruthless assassin, Sierra six has a soft spot for the people. He’s the guy who could literally make everyone calm in a panic situation.
Ryan Gosling beautifully matches with the character Siera six.
However, I also recall Jason Statham and Mark Wahlberg doing similar roles. They would have looked good in the role too. But then I realized that the sophisticated charm that Ryan brings to Sierra six is near unmatched and Jason doesn’t have that much hair to pull off. No offense to Jason though.
Lloyd Hansen, played by Chris Evans is a powerful character and yet lacks depth. Chris has tried his tooth and nail in bringing much life and vibe to the character but somehow, he still struggles. But I think that is what the problem is, it is not Chris but the one who hired him for the role.
Some roles in movie too powerful. One can’t just separate the actor from that role anymore. Such is the role of Captain America which was flawlessly pulled off my Chris Evans in the character’s solo movies as well as in the avengers. From that point on, I personally have found it hard to separate Chris from Captain America.
Even in The Gray Man, Chris does remind me and a lot more people of Captain America. That superhero aura, it just does not seem to leave him, even when Chris is portrayed as the bad guy.
Surprisingly, the fans, especially the Indians get to see a similar face of Dhanush. The South Indian actor known for his predominant work in the Tamil Cinema has captured the phenomenal response of the people despite being granted a limited screen time.
Dhanush presence is powerful. At times he outweighs Ryan Gosling and Ana De Armas. He blends in well with his character Avik San. The Hindustan Times confirms another spin-off sequel of the Gray Man in which Dhanush would reiterate its role. Kudos to him.
Ana De Armas, the queen performer has bagged quite of a reputation in Hollywood. Her acting is laudable and her character Dani Mirandi, another CIA agent is ruthless and mysterious which actually adds quite a spice to her.
Dani Mirandi seems to be involved in a love-hate relation between Sierra six, yet not a romantic one. She is the first who doubts the CIA and believes in Sierra six. She assists him massively on the mission with a highly efficient chemistry which makes them unstoppable.
Despite being a Netflix success, The Gray Man comes with its ups and downs. At times the script lacks dept, the dialogues could have been made more emotional, and I personally have something with Chris’s character as it lacks originality and reminds me of the old movie villains which are often dramatic and unoriginal.
The movie overall is a package of serious entertainment with a little number of dull moments. When I say its serious entertainment means that it’s for those who adore actions and adventures like the Dwayne Jhonson and the Fast and Furious series except for the comedy. Apart from this, it is a commitment from Netflix that it can do whatever it can to produce quality and revive its struggling market position.
The Gray Man is currently streaming on Netflix Pakistan as the No.1 hit.