Netflix don’t have a great track record with their content.
*Shudders in Red Notice*
The Gray Man won’t win any Oscars, but “good looking and very capable people doing spy/action shit” is a genre I’m keen on. And unlike Red Notice, this is reasonable.
It’s well-known that I have a crush on Ryan Gosling, whilst post Cap Chris Evans absolutely delights in being a massive douche. Ana de Armas doesn’t get much development bar having a conscience but does well with the action. The trio are a big win when it comes good looking people being very capable.
The story gave me shades of everything from Bourne to Commando, with an awful lot of collateral damage and some cool fights. There’s some funny dialogue too, with Gosling’s more dry humour versus Evans’s more crude and playful chat.
I’m really not sure what to make of the drone establishing shots. Part of me was impressed with the speed and scope they can give. But they also seemed excessive and try-hard. As though we were watching from the point of view of a dive-bombing Eagle.
The bigger issues are the editing and FX. This film didn’t need so much of either. It’s frustrating when some scenes are filmed seemingly without twenty cuts or smoke obscuring everything. So it was clearly a choice. I just don’t understand why you’d hide two stars who can clearly handle a bit of action.
Overall I enjoyed The Gray Man. Will I remember all of it in a few weeks time? Probably not. I’ll remember the leads and that I had a good time. That’s not a bad deal for an action film.
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