Cliché spy movie without balance
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Written by: Joe Russo, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas
Swift shot: There was nothing gray about this gray man, and I am pretty sure he started World War IV. But, if you are looking for a ridiculous action movie that plays with tones and doesn’t really land on either being too ridiculous or too serious, I guess The Gray Man is your kind of movie. Sadly, it left me wanting a lot more, especially from Marvel heavyweights like the Russo Brothers.
Ryan Gosling plays Six, a “Kleenex” (not a gray man) see, a “Kleenex” is a disposable assassin employed illegally by the CIA, whereas a typical gray man is a HUMINT covert asset who blends into his surroundings, not standing out, being . . . gray. But in this story, “gray man” refers to someone who operates on the periphery of good and evil, or black and white. So, if you are into spy stuff, it might be a bit confusing.
Six is recruited out of prison, given a kind of Suicide Squad deal to carry out his sentence sentencing others to death. And since the murder that landed him in prison was arguably justified, he’s a sympathetic character. In fact, I loved his story, particularly how and why he was recruited and his recruiter Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton) and his niece, Claire (Julia Butters) were compelling characters.
But, then there was Lloyd Hansen.
Chris Evans must really love Commando, because he channeled his inner Bennett (Vernon Wells) stereotypical macho douchebag to play the role of Lloyd Hansen, a mustachioed malcontent who probably spends his free time kicking blind puppies. Compare that to the stoic, nuanced performance by Gosling that reminded me of his turn in Drive and you understand a lot of the criticism about balance and the tone being all over the place.
Incidentally, this is plot-line to Commando: “A retired Special Forces colonel tries to save his daughter, who was abducted by his former subordinate.”
This was plot-line to The Gray Man: “A CIA hitman tries to save his recruiter’s niece who was abducted by a washout CIA assassin.”
Where The Gray Man falls apart is the credibility factor. Either he is covert and supposed to keep a low profile, or he is a Muther-friggin’ John Rambo/Jason Bourne type that seemingly can’t fail.
Still, I didn’t mind seeing Ana de Armas as CIA officer Dani Miranda who brings her own beautiful badassery to the fray which harkened back to her “Bond girl” in No Time to Die. And she definitely gets to play with a lot more toys in The Gray Man, and I dare say she also got in her time behind the wheel in some chaotic chases across Eastern Europe.
As far as Regé-Jean Page and Jessica Henwick, they could have been melded into one much better character rather than forcing us to endure two of these cutaway CIA cliché stooges.
Look, if you are looking for a mindless action shoot-em-up, this is great choice. But Chris Evans was clearly just a fucking cartoon this whole film, and it reminded me of the bizarre spy movie Hudson Hawk from 1991 that at least knew what the tone should be . . . absolute buffoonery. With The Gray Man, I don’t think the Russo Brothers had a freakin’ clue what tone they were shooting for – but there was plenty of shooting, I guess.
