The Gray Man Movie Review

The Gray Man (2022)

Watch The Gray Man on Netflix // Buy the book (paid link)
Written by: Joe Russo and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (screenplay by), Mark Greaney (based on the book by)
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo (directed by)
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thornton, Jessica Henwick, Dhanush, Alfre Woodard, Regé-Jean Page, Wagner Moura, Shea Whigham
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
When the CIA's most skilled operative accidentally uncovers dark agency secrets, a psychopathic former colleague puts a bounty on his head, setting off a global manhunt by international assassins.

Verdict
This is a fast paced, wild ride action movie. Gosling and Evans absolutely elevate a movie that would be lacking without them. Any scene with one of them is great, when it's both of them that's even better, but any scene without them is lacking. The fights are great, relying on the environment while also spanning numerous locations.
Watch It.

Review
This opens with a standard setup. It's a black ops mission with a nameless agent Sierra Six (Ryan Gosling). He has no identification, no past, and thus likely a short future. Six is good at his job, but he balks at killing his target because a child is nearby. I find it difficult to believe that a decorated killer would jeopardize the mission like this. He's good because he gets the job done. The only reason the plot wants to thwart this attempt is to showcase Six's hand to hand combat skills. There are so many more inventive ways to do this that aren't as cliche as throwing a child into the mix.

Ryan Gosling plays Sierra Six

Six recovers an asset, and then has to protect himself when he doesn't turn it in. What follows is a nearly non-stop action movie. The fights are really good, excellent at utilizing the surroundings. Six is continually in dire situations, but uses his surroundings to escape and succeed.

Six is aided by Agent Miranda (Ana de Armas) who wants to clear her name by capturing Six, but then starts to believe him. Six needs a sidekick and the script uses a rather boring trope to d o that.

Chris Evans plays Lloyd Hansen

Gosling plays the strong silent type, a similar character he's played in Drive and Only God Forgives. Chris Evans plays Lloyd, the smarmy sociopath. It's a welcome departure from his wholesome Captain America role. He's chewing the scenery much like he did in Knives Out. These two actors are absolutely great. They dominate their scenes, and any sequences that don't include them feel deflated. The megalomaniac CIA boss behind all of this feels like his scenes are from a parody in comparison. Billy Bob Thornton is also in this, and of course he holds his ground. I guarantee if he played the CIA boss, those scenes would be an order of magnitude better.
It's difficult for any other actor to compare to Gosling and Evans. This movie shows exactly what an actor brings to the screen. The script doesn't give any of the characters much depth. It's left to the actors to provide intrigue.

This movie really likes its dialog callbacks. It's a bit much towards the end as it begins to feel like a forced gimmick.

Lloyd pursues Six throughout the movie, leaving a wake of destruction and bodies in his path. There are big fights, lots of explosions, and so many bodies. Six's early plane and midway courtyard fight stand out, but all of Six's scenes are some degree of fun. Gosling and Evans add enough dimension to make this feel unique despite the flat characters. If all the characters were as hollow as the surrounding cast, this movie wouldn't be nearly as much fun. Sure the fights are a bit superhuman and these characters would end up dead, but this is a popcorn action flick that will entertain despite the story shortcomings.