The star-studded action film, The Gray Man, featuring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Dhanush, and Ana De Armas, has been the talk of the town ever since the film has been announced. The film hosted a special screening in Los Angeles on July 11. And it has been receiving a lot of praise from critics.
About The Movie
The film is based on the book series written by Mark Greaney and is the first in the franchise. The story follows a CIA Agent (played by Ryan Gosling) who is on a global chase after discovering some dark secrets. He is being hunted by a psychopathic former colleague Lloyd Hansen (played by Chris Evans). There have been many attempts made to adapt this book series into a movie, like in 2011 by James Gray and in 2016 by Christopher McQuarrie, but failed to proceed. In 2020, Netflix announced the adaptation with the Avengers: Infinity and Endgame directors the Russo Brothers.
The multi-starrer cast has Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in the lead with Gosling as the hero and Evans as the villain. Dhanush makes his international debut with this film. His character is a small but pivotal one. Reportedly, he plays the role of an assassin and does not have a lot of dialogue. The director duo has hinted that his character might get his spin-off. The film also stars Ana De Armas, Jessica Henwick, Rege-Jean Page and Wagner Moura.
The Gray Man is said to be the most expensive film that Netflix has ever made with a budget of $200 million.
Critics Reviews
The film has been getting a lot of buzz on social media after its special screening. The reviews are mostly positive but there are some that hint at the opposite. There have been many praising the chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans.
Germaine Lusser, an entertainment reporter, called the movie ‘James Bond meets Fast & Furious’.
Matt Neglia, the editor of the entertainment site ‘Next Best Picture’ compared the movie with John Wick films and Mission: Impossible films by talking about how it is not as impressive yet manages to entertain.
Courtney Howard, a film critic, talks about the ‘well-constructed action sequences’ in her tweet.
There have been some negative reviews as well. Like Kyle Buchanan, the New York Times film reporter, calls it the ‘emptiest star vehicle’.
David Ehrlich, the chief film critic of Indie Wire, wrote how the movie reminded him of Red Notice.
With these reviews, it is clear that the movie is equal in parts good and bad. What is the most exciting thing about the movie is Chris Evan playing a villain role. The reviews point at the movie as a complete entertainer, which might not have everything to engage the audience but it does excite the audience with an interesting plotline and the ensemble of casts. ‘The Gray Man’ will be released for a short time in theatres on July 15 and will make a Netflix release on July 22.
Sources: Gq-magazine.co.uk, Screenrant.com, Latestly.com, Hindustantimes.com
