Monday, November 25, 2024

Trending Topics

HomeBusinessReview: The Gray Man Is Netflix’s Best Imperfect Action Film Yet, With Well-Portrayed Characters And Memorable Action

Review: The Gray Man Is Netflix’s Best Imperfect Action Film Yet, With Well-Portrayed Characters And Memorable Action

spot_img

Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Gray Man Netflix The Gray Man tells the tale of Sierra Six (Ryan Gosling), a member of a squad of recruited criminal operatives that do governmental dirty work. When he comes into possession of data the government would prefer he not have, new lead Denny Carmichael (Regé-Jean Page) and Suzanne Brewer (Jessica Henwick) enlist the recovery efforts of the sociopathic Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), while Six’s contact Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas) joins Six in his efforts for justice (and the protection of those closest to him). Gosling’s action-star credentials are intact, as he handles an action-heavy role with a strong comedic undercurrent well.

Some of the more subtle, funnier bits were ad-libbed, and it paints a picture of a ‘Six’ that’s more than just a murder machine. He’s got jokes, he’s got subtleties—it works, and Gosling lands it. Evans’ mustachioed Lloyd is a charismatic villain that lands the danger and the combat.

Evans is clearly having a blast in the role, and he plays it with a demonic sense of humor that serves the role. ADVERTISEMENT Of the key players, Ana de Armas’s Dani is also believably badass, but the movie is so action-heavy we get little unguarded emotion from anyone (except Evans’ Lloyd, who just is a sociopathic troublemaker for hire and clearly, deeply loves it). Regé-Jean Page’s Denny Carmichael is a charismatic mystery, while Jessica Henwick’s Suzanne Brewer is a great audience stand in—often funny, morally complex, and unyielding in the face of nonsense.

Dhanush’s Avik San is a standout here in need of backstory-principled, scary, tough, and charismatic. All the players here bring their A-game, and the cast is stellar. As written, the characters are thin, functional—they serve their purposes and fit into the film’s mysterious-spyland, but the majority of its depth is in the nuances of the performers—the details and wordless subtleties they give, and that’s the majority of it.

It’s an action-heavy spectacle that gives little time to stop and think, and undoubtedly that has downsides. It’s a mile-a-minute, it’s fun, and there are a number of top-notch action sequences that really land, with really great stunt work and fight choreography. The stunts and fight work are top-tier, with a long Prague set-piece that rivals anything we’ve seen lately.

At the same time, the characters are underwritten, there’s nearly no first act so it takes some time to feel out the protagonist and the film’s emotional grounding, and there’s considerable mystery to the world, but some of it would be helpful to understand. We find out Six’s backstory; what happened to his brother, exactly? Does he have anyone else? Does anyone here have a life beyond this situation? ADVERTISEMENT It is indeed the largest scale Netflix NFLX  NFLX  action film thus far—it feels expansive, rich, and there’s depth to the city. This is classic filmmaking with a rich background and a number of moving parts.

There’s a conflict here—the cinematography continually paints a large and exciting picture, but the editing is often convoluted, a bit wonky. The cutting makes the action sometimes difficult to piece together, and cuts at odd spots. Still, it’s a fun action film overall with a number of top-notch action scenes.

Here’s the thing: it’s a fun film, but it isn’t altogether that different from the myriad action thrillers that came before. Bond, Mission Impossible, Jason Bourne—you’ll see the lineage. Still, there are large scale action sequences from the Russos, and a number of them feel unique.

You feel Prague, for example, and while an action-cinema expert may be able to trace its heritage, the film innovates enough to have some novel, majorly memorable moments. On the whole, The Gray Man is one of Netflix’s most cinematic, large-scale action films yet. It feels large: the action sequences are larger than life, and it’s a marked difference from the small scale, in room action sequences of yore.

The Gray Man isn’t perfect, but the Russo’s swing for the fences while the cast lands a number of memorable performances. It’s a strong action outing on the big screen, with all the markings of an action franchise to follow. ADVERTISEMENT.


From: forbes
URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffewing/2022/07/14/review-the-gray-man-is-netflixs-best-imperfect-action-film-yet-with-well-portrayed-characters-and-memorable-action-1/

DTN
DTN
Dubai Tech News is the leading source of information for people working in the technology industry. We provide daily news coverage, keeping you abreast of the latest trends and developments in this exciting and rapidly growing sector.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

spot_img

Must Read

Related News