The Grey Man

Ryan Gosling, known for his roles in “La La Land” and “Drive,” comes closer to playing a superhero in the mega-budget Netflix film “The Gray Man,” directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the same duo behind “Avengers: Endgame.” The movie is an adaptation of Mark Greaney’s book and has the potential to start a new mega-franchise.

However, it appears that Netflix lacks creative oversight over such projects, allowing creators to spend extravagantly without worrying about the final outcome. As long as it fits the algorithm, the company seems to be satisfied. Nevertheless, viewers may find it difficult to recall anything memorable about “The Gray Man” a few days after watching it. If this is the beginning of a new franchise, then hopefully, future installments will have a clearer and more defined plot.

Gosling plays the character of Sierra Six, a spy recruited out of prison by a handler named Donald Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton). The movie begins with a mission gone wrong, where Six is ordered by a new boss, Denny Carmichael (Reger-Jean Page), to take out a target who turns out to be a fellow agent. Before dying, the agent informs Six that Denny is a villain and hands him the intel to prove it. With no time to develop a personality as a movie character, our stoic hero is forced to go on the run. Although this kind of blank protagonist works for taut, precise action films like those in the “John Wick” franchise, it's not suitable for a production as loose as “The Gray Man.” A character like Ethan Hunt, who is defined by more than just a few clichés, is needed to give the film more depth. Unfortunately, it's hard to name more than five characteristics of Six that the audience is supposed to follow for two hours.

As Six runs, Carmichael calls in Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), a former CIA black ops mercenary who now works in the private sector, where there are fewer rules. Hansen will do whatever it takes to get Six, including kidnapping Fitzroy’s daughter Claire (Julia Butters). However, Six has a connection with Claire as he watched over her a few years ago. He’s a spy who wants children to live, which separates him from sociopaths like Hansen. Another spy, Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas), joins Six on his quest for freedom, but she is given even less character definition than her male counterparts.

The movie is all about good guys, bad guys, a woman in the middle, a kid in danger, and things that go boom. Some of the action sequences, such as the one in a town square, are pretty effective, but most of the film is shot in low light, which dulls even the incredible screen presence of Gosling, Evans, and de Armas. The low-light palette of “Ozark” is not suitable for a globe-trotting action flick like “The Gray Man,” which should be joyously over-the-top, like the “Fast & Furious” or “Bourne” franchises. Unfortunately, everything in the movie feels program matically dull, except for Evans’ wisecracking character. It’s a silly piece of popcorn entertainment that often forgets that this kind of venture needs to be fun.

One of the movie's problems is that Evans is never set up as an interesting threat. In fact, he seems to be terrible at his job, and a colleague says that his mistakes will be taught in schools as what not to do. This is not a battle of wills; it's just a good spy versus a crazy spy. The idea that Gosling is the old-fashioned spy and Evans is the modern maniac whose strategy is to blow up everything is under develop.