Release Date : July 22, 2022
123telugu.com Rating : 2.75/5
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Dhanush, Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, Billy Bob Thorton, Regé-Jean Page, Julia Butters and others
Director: Russo Brothers
Producers: Russo Brothers, Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Mike Larocca. Chris Castaldi and Palak Patel
Music Director: Henry Jackman
Cinematography : Stephen F Windon
Editor: Jeff Groth and Pietro Scalia
After Avengers: Endgame, Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, popularly known as Russo Brothers, come up with the action thriller The Gray Man. The movie which also has Dhanush was released on Netflix today. Let’s see how the flick is.
Story
Court Genty codenamed Sierra Six (Ryan Gosling), a gray man working for the CIA, is sent to kill a bad guy, Sierra Four, in Bangkok and finds out that he has dark secrets about the agency in a pen drive. Sierra Six kills him, takes it and runs away. So, their boss Denny Carmichael(Regé-Jean Page) appoints the psychopathic former colleague Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans) to kill Sierra Six and bring back the proof. What are those secrets? Did Lloyd kill Sierra Six? What happened next? These will be answered in the main movie.
Plus Points
The story is pretty familiar but it is the racy screenplay that makes you glue your eyes to the screens until the happy ending. Thanks to the trio – Joe Russo, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for making the movie watchable with engaging action sequences like the plane crashing scene or the train fight.
Coming to the performances, Ryan Gosling delivers his best as a man who works as an assassin and sticks to ethics to save naïve people. His performance is subtle yet stunning.
The performance we need to talk about is of Lloyd, played by Chris Evans. So far, we know him as an Avenger but this film showcases him as a ruthless and psychopathic agent who goes to any extent to do what he wants. His performance is top notch and the baddie is handsome enough to fall in love with. His remarkable performance is one of the biggest assets of the film.
Coming to Dhanush, his screen presence is limited but he creates a huge impact with his action stunts. Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thorton, Julia Butters, and Jessica Henwick deliver their best.
Minus Points
The story is itself a big letdown for The Gray Man and it’s highly predictable. When you have star actors on board, you need to come up with an extraordinary script, filled with mind-blowing twists and turns. But, Russo Brothers choose a simple and familiar cat and mouse game story and shoot it grandly. They failed to amuse the audiences who have a lot of expectations on the film.
The backstory about the dark secrets of the agency could have been shown in detail. Ana de Armas and Dhanush’s roles could have been designed in a good manner, to create much more impact on the story.
Technical Aspects
As mentioned earlier, the director duo – Joe Russo and Anthony Russo – completely failed to come up with an engaging story. As directors, they are successful. Stephen F Windon’s cinematography is commendable. Some shots in the action sequences look extraordinary.
Henry Jackman’s music score is nice in the movie and so does the editing by Jeff Groth and Pietro Scalia. The production values are top notch and the grand visuals are only a witness.
Verdict
On the whole, The Gray Man is an action thriller with an old-school story and intense action episodes. The performances of Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling are exceptional. The Netflix original offers nothing new in terms of story. If you are an action-movie lover then give it a watch. Releasing the lavish flick on big screens might have a good response.
123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team