The Gray Man

Ryan Gosling (Court Gentry). At the center of The Gray Man is Ryan Gosling's Count Gentry, aka Sierra Six, a CIA black ops operative who becomes the target of ...

Woodard previously worked with the Russos on Captain America: Civil War (she played the grieving mother who approached Tony Stark at MIT), but that was just a small part of her career. The list of Thornton’s best movies features one extraordinary performance after another in films like Sling Blade, Monster’s Ball, Primary Colors, Tombstone and more. And then there is also all that buzz around if he will or will not be the next man to call himself “Bond, James Bond.” With names like Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas front and center of the spy thriller book-to-film adaptation, it’s safe to say The Gray Man cast is one remarkable bunch of actors. Despite being best known for playing the fan-favorite hero Captain America throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Evans has proven on more than one occasion that he is well suited to play the bad guy. Anthony and Joe Russo know a thing or two about working with large ensemble casts made of up talented actors — just look at their work on four of the best Marvel movies and it becomes all the more clear.

After a limited theatrical debut, Netflix's newest attempt at building a blockbuster franchise, The Gray Man, has arrived and so far, it's going somewhat ...

There’s too much talent on board for browsing audiences to flick past it, and if it’s entertaining enough for fans, well, it doesn’t really matter what critics think. It became Netflix’s most-viewed original movie by a good margin, and is getting at least one sequel as a result. If a movie is popular and enjoyed by fans, that’s enough to consider it a success. Captain America: The Winder Soldier and both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame have 85%+ scores, and similarly high marks from audiences. I expect this to rocket up the Netflix charts over the weekend here, and I would be surprised if this did not end up becoming one of their most viewed movies by the end of its initial run here. To be clear, critics have normally liked the Russo’s work in the Marvel universe.

Review By: Jonathan W. Hickman. Film Details: Directors: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. Cast: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thornton, ...

One frustrating aspect of “The Gray Man” is the fight sequences. Comparisons to “John Wick” here expose the lack of weight of these fight sequences. I suspect we will see more of him in the inevitable “Gray Man” sequel and other English language Hollywood projects. Where Wick appears to be delivering (and taking) blows, the punches thrown in “The Gray Man” don’t seem to have a visceral impact. Still, the way the camera ramps up and ramps down is distracting. Few would argue that she was one of the best things, if not the best thing, about the last Bond film, “No Time To Die.” That sequence in Havana was terrific, causing fans to swoon. And if you turn off your moral compass, there’s fun to be had with “The Gray Man.” Obviously, viewers shouldn’t dwell too much on the efficacy of any decision made by the characters in “The Gray Man.” It would be impossible to make perfect sense of any one motivation. If only we got more elegance and less barbaric action sequences, “The Gray Man” would have been a far better movie. And where their last movie, 2021’s drug drama “Cherry,” failed to resonate, a return to the action genre definitely agrees with the twosome. The set-up for “The Gray Man” is excellent. Both men were part of a top-secret program led by the surly Fitzroy (a gray man himself, Billy Bob Thornton) that takes criminals and puts them to work as covert operatives.

Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans face off in this globetrotting spy movie from the directors of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

Kudos to the filmmakers, by the way, for those florid Evil Dead-like establishing shots shot from a drone, which capture large swaths of the city and shake things up from the usual. Promoted as Netflix’s most expensive movie to date, The Gray Man is undeniably polished and entirely engrossing, though like most of the streaming service’s offerings, it feels more like disposable entertainment than event cinema. (See previous articles for more details on The Gray Man’s shooting locations in Prague). This slam-bang sequence, largely accomplished using practical effects outside of shots of Prague architecture being smashed up to pieces, is beautifully choreographed and executed, and easily the film’s biggest highlight. Twenty years after he’s recruited, Six finds himself in Bangkok and assigned to take out a target by slick new CIA honcho Denny Carmichael ( Regé-Jean Page) before said target can sell off valuable government data. Still, one might wish this real-life spy movie took things more seriously than a comic book blockbuster; The Gray Man’s destructive action sequences seem to unfold without much consequence, while its characters never miss an opportunity to make a lighthearted quip.

Much like Brad Pitt before him, Ryan Gosling keeps falling into Hollywood's “cool guy” trap.

He’s pulled off the taciturn heroes of Drive, Blade Runner 2049, and First Man, but also the shambling, overconfident private detective Holland March in The Nice Guys, the scumbag trader Jared Vennett in The Big Short, and the kind-hearted but awkward Lars of Lars and the Real Girl. He was at his least interesting as a do-gooder cop in Gangster Squad, and that’s what The Gray Man recalled for me above all. Given that the government honed him as a “gray man” who could blend into the background of any assignment, he spends the majority of the movie glowering and mumbling when he’s not being tossed into another CGI-powered combo of running, jumping, and shooting. In return, he delivers the all-purpose steely charm required of him, but there’s no passion behind it. The actor he’s frequently reminded me of is Brad Pitt, who catapulted to fame in the early ’90s with striking work in Thelma and Louise, bolstered by his chiseled face. One of his best-remembered films remains the taut 2011 thriller Drive, in which he played an unnamed stunt driver who is cool behind the wheel but monosyllabic in conversation. In First Man, he portrayed the astronaut Neil Armstrong as prickly and standoffish, far more ready to face his work than any interpersonal relationship.

Netflix's 'The Gray Man' seems poised for sequels and prequels, starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. Here's what we know about 'The Gray Man 2.'

It’s the talking point of most media buzz, and it’s the first thing we should get out of the way: at somewhere around $200 million, The Gray Man (starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans) is now Netflix’s most expensive original movie. Scott Stuber, Netflix’s head of global film told The New York Times he’s been hoping to help the company break into big franchise action films since he arrived five years ago. That’s not including a vague CIA chief known as “the old man.” And there are precedents; big movies have paid off in the past. It’s too soon to tell whether this strategy will pay off, but it does suggest a forward-looking film cycle, where Netflix hopes to run several action franchises simultaneously. The budget matters.

The offsite Gray Man experience at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 was a bit too exclusive for fans trying to participate.

The worst part is that the activation is not fully accessible. when the sound is synced up. The footage is also entertaining and interesting…

Directors Anthony and Joe Russo take viewers to all sorts of glamorous locales, including Prague and Bangkok, while the cast list is packed with famous — and ...

As "The Gray Man" wraps up its story, the screenplay takes one of its most intriguing detours. At this moment, "The Gray Man" becomes a little introspective, showing how government corruption is often swept under the rug in America. After all, this is a country where Richard Nixon was pardoned and the people in charge of torturing suspects after 9/11 received no punishments. The best action sequence in "The Gray Man" comes in the middle of the film, when Gentry has to evade endless waves of trigger-happy mercenaries in Prague. What makes this stretch especially enjoyable is the way it continually escalates the stakes. In "The Gray Man," though, the limitations of a PG-13 rating dull the edges of its supposedly sadistic villain, robbing this scene of much of its impact. One notable downside about "The Gray Man" receiving a PG-13 rating is that Lloyd Hansen's supposed ruthlessness is rarely seen. The best example of what happens when "The Gray Man" lets its hair down comes when Gentry attempts to get a passport picture taken; in the middle of the process, a seemingly helpful photographer pushes a button, and the ground beneath Gentry vanishes. "The Gray Man" features a grim tone, and usually has no time for extreme forms of silliness, although that doesn't mean that there aren't occasional forays into the ridiculous. This is supposed to reveal new depths to "The Gray Man" protagonist, while lending an extra sense of urgency to Claire's plight. Adding insult to injury, after releasing the flash drive, San just walks out of the room, a clumsy and abrupt conclusion that accentuates the awkwardness of this entire sequence. "The Gray Man" establishes Gentry's skills as a mercenary right away. In its most rewarding scenes, "The Gray Man" provides spectacles as impressive as its star-studded cast. Watching the final product, there's no question that a lot of that cash ended up on the screen.

Action, action and more action in new Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans Netflix movie "The Gray Man"

There should be some real electricity seeing Gosling and Evans duke it out in a water fountain, but it is oddly underwhelming — especially after some of the film's superb actions sequences. (And for those counting, Gosling also gets one shirtless scene where displays his impressive chest; it is the same number of times he is called a "Ken doll." But as exhilarating — or as exhausting — as "The Gray Man" is, the film strains credibility as Six survives everything he encounters. As Carmichael, Regé-Jean Page is as petty as he is pretty. It is a big, noisy, explosive adrenaline rush — a live-action spin on that old "MAD" magazine comic, "Spy vs. But mostly, the film is one action set piece after another after another.

How does Netflix's 'The Gray Man' stack up against Mark Greaney's novel? We've got everything you need to know about 'The Gray Man' book ending here.

Court doesn’t have much time to rest, as Marc Laurent — the Monsieur Laurent of LaurentGroup — arrives at the château in his helicopter. By the time Court arrives in Normandy, Phillip has been shot dead by a sniper while trying to prevent Claire from escaping the compound to alert the police, and the Gray Man has amassed enough wounds to need a medicinal cocktail of blood, dextrose, narcotics, and amphetamines to make it the last few miles to the château. After Court refuses Fitzroy’s offer to set up another extraction, the handler reveals that the “Nigerians” — in actuality, mercenaries hired by LaurentGroup — are holding Phillip and his family in Normandy and will kill them if Court isn’t dead within the next 48 hours. Greaney’s 2009 novel follows Courtland “Court” Gentry — aka the Gray Man, a former CIA operative who now works as a hired killer, trying to stay one step ahead of his former allies, who have orders to shoot him on sight. He’s arranged for Fitzroy’s son, Phillip, to be kidnapped — along with Phillip’s wife, Elise, and their 8-year-old twin daughters, Claire (Julia Butters) and Kate — and held at Château Laurent in Normandy. The family is as good as dead, unless Fitzroy complies. The primary antagonist refers to Nigerians as “savages” twice, and his statement goes unchallenged, both by the other characters and by the text as a whole.

Netflix's next big new July move is “The Gray Man,” a CIA thriller film starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. Sadly, it's not good.

Meanwhile, “The Gray Man” seems destined to the same fate. Even “Bridgerton” and “Squid Game” may prove to be fluke hits. (Disney+ and HBO Max are the main players here, but even Peacock and Paramount+ immediately conjure images of NBC comedies and “Star Trek” respectively.) But after coming face-to-face with large-scale streamers that bring a defined brand to the table, Netflix's lack of a defined lane has become a detriment. This means in a way it is also the perfect Netflix film: something that looks like other things you like to watch, without actually demanding you watch it. Leading man Gosling has never had much of a defined personality, but here he fades into the background of his own movie.

Pitting Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling) and Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans) against each other in front of an ornate French fountain was quite the choice for the film's ...

It all leads to the mess that The Gray Man sees its characters at the heart of, as the ambitious Denny Carmichael gets both Fitzroy and Cahill out of CIA leadership. Speaking of which, there are plenty of consequences to go around in this universe, but all of that naturally depends on how well this first Sierra Six adventure does with the crowd. If you’re hungry for more knowledge, our last offering is this rundown of what we knew about The Gray Man, prior to actually seeing the film. Joe Russo: It seemed, yeah…we struggled over that for a long, long time…Seemed too, it just, again, like, we, we used to always say this with the Marvel work, you know, there has to be stakes, you know what I'm saying? You’ll notice that we’ve barely mentioned Chris Evans’ Lloyd Hansen, the Gray Man villain critics can’t stop talking about, in our examination of this ending. As both know what really happened throughout this entire CIA shit show, they’re pretty much public enemies #1 and #2. Or at least, that would be the official viewpoint of the two parties that have the most to lose from this mess. One could say it’s a small price to pay for backing Suzanne’s story that Lloyd Hansen was behind every single screwup we saw in The Gray Man. However, it’s a price that’s soon voided out. However, there are two conditions: Court goes back to prison, and the niece of his late mentor, Donald (Billy Bob Thornton), is placed under CIA lock and key. Should you want to know more about the movie without spoilers, read our official review of The Gray Man. Otherwise, let the madness begin, starting with what happened at the end of Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans’ insane confrontation. Pitting Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling) and Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans) against each other in front of an ornate French fountain was quite the choice for the film’s final fight. If you haven’t watched the movie yet and want to go in cold, this is the point of no return. Simultaneously, the tracks to the future are laid pretty effectively, as Ryan Gosling protagonist Court Gentry has been mixing it up with his enemies for 11 books, with a 12th on the way.

In "The Gray Man" on Netflix, Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling make a strong impression. The film is directed by Anthony Rizzo and Joe Russo.

Lloyd's job is to finish six and retrieve the drive anyhow. Callan Mulvey (Dining Car) says he is Sierra Four, and the next target would be six. The film is bold, loud, big and has an adrenaline rush attached to it.

Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans play shadow CIA agents in the fast-paced Netflix spy thriller "Gray Man," which also stars Regé-Jean Page.

The "Insecure" star/co-creator served as executive producer and wrote the debut episode for this series about two estranged friends who come together to form a rap duo. What did you like about today's newsletter? What did we miss? She is just the latest example of a celebrity using a deep personal crisis to inform and help others. "No matter how much I tried to make a sequence out of the songs, it just seemed like you were taking a Miles Davis record and putting it in the middle of an Iron Maiden record," White told Variety The comedy is set in Miami and very much giving shades of the real-life rap duo City Girls, but with the wit of Rae and her team in a comedy that's as much about female empowerment and life as it is hip-hop.

If you're ready for more Ryan Gosling on your screen, you'll want to watch The Gray Man. Is the movie streaming on Amazon Prime Video?

It takes subscribers away from Netflix. There may be a DVD release, though. That’s the only place to stream it online right now. It is currently out in some theaters (with a limited release), but it’s also headed to a streaming platform.

The hottest scenes from Netflix's Russo brothers action thriller, 'The Gray Man,' starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, and Regé-Jean Page.

Six and Lloyd aren’t the only two with a charming back and forth. After Six goes through hell and back he finally makes his way to rescue Fitz and Claire, but rather than opt for a dramatic entrance he gently kicks open the door and winks. But the sexiness returns when he gets handcuffed to a bench and later hops over it to hide. Then she shoots him with a dart and pushes him into the trunk like the boss she is. Six is running from the police, which is hot until he gets hit by a car. From the movie that brought you The Red Suit comes The Gray Suit! In present day, Six is wearing a hideous red and black hoodie and looking understandably disheveled after surviving a plane crash. The banter. The action. But he’s still Chris Evans. And when he takes a break to put in a single AirPod and have a little snack, his personality shines through. HOT! Then he disarms his target, flashes a little smile, and does a little Mr. Darcy hand flex before fighting, all while fireworks are going off in the background? As if COURTLAND GENTRY wasn’t a hot enough name people start referring to him as “Sierra Six” and then SIX for short?! Thank you for understanding, and please enjoy the ride!