‘The Gray Man’ review
There is no flawless checklist detailing the steps to create an amazing action movie. There are no stage notes, no get-rich-quick schemes, no paint-by-numbers. Sure, there are helpful tips and plot diagrams, but a perfect plan simply does not exist.
Even so, The Gray Man likes to pretend one does. But underneath its star-studded cast, widely-known directors, and fast-paced cinematography, there lies a script with monotonous dialogue, cheap one-liners, and sorely overused stereotypes. The movie speeds through each plot point while leaving no room for any mystery or depth, any speculation or intrigue. A movie can have it all: a widely loved genre it calls home, beautiful drone shots, frequent dramatic fight scenes. In spite of that, these accessories are dull without a gripping core plot and interesting characters. The overcompensation in some aspects does not overshadow the absence of others.
Ryan Gosling stars in The Gray Man, sharing the screen with Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Regé-Jean Page, and Billy Bob Thornton, just to mention a few. Gosling portrays Sierra Six, a former inmate turned CIA assassin who travels the classic my employer was the bad guy all along route. The movie takes off when Six is conveniently handed groundbreaking evidence of the CIA’s crooked behavior, from where he goes on to betray the agency with no second thought. Understandably infuriated, top CIA agent Denny Carmichael hires old best friend Lloyd Hansen, who you know is a sociopath because of his fake mustache, to kill Six.
Theoretically, the movie’s character list is fit for the role. A main character reminiscent of the classic confident and brooding leading man, with a sad backstory to match. A group of villains that are all unhinged in their own way. An old mentor to the main character, who he has an irreplaceable and noteworthy bond with. An innocent child caught in the mess, a clear-cut way to garner sympathy and raise the stakes.
But realistically, the execution ruined the potential. Six has the cold exterior down, but fails to provide any real charisma. His sad backstory and most importantly, its impact on his present behavior, is left largely unexplained. Most of the remaining cast is forgettable, adopting flimsy motivations and histories. This is far from a critique on the use of classic archetypes- in fact, character archetypes are arguably essential to storytelling of any kind. Rather, it is a comment on the one-dimensional characters The Gray Man revolves around. Characters are not people without a personality. Characters are not people without a past.
In an ironic twist of events, Lloyd Hansen felt the most natural, or in any case, at least the most interesting. Despite his sociopathic actions, he maintained a dry and funny demeanor, a different take on the expectations. In this light, The Gray Man and Chris Evans succeeded, making a deplorable character squeeze out more than a few laughs.
Finally, even an action movie needs time to slow down and situate the viewer. The Gray Man introduces the audience to location after location with no regard for the limitations of reasonable travel. The movie being spread out all over the world gave the artificial impression of a high-stakes and exciting mission, but more often than not, the locale had no real plot significance.
It is clear that Netflix is trying to create the next franchise of heist-suspense-thriller movies, already making moves with a confirmed sequel and spin-off. To form the next series of feature films, Netflix needs to stamp its unique touch on The Gray Man series before it fades into the gray. In essence, producing a completely new piece of art is near impossible, but producing one with passion and creativity is not.
1.5/5