The Gray Man

Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo

Starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas

Released in theaters July 15, 2022; now streaming on Netflix

This past Monday, I watched The Gray Man. K warned me against watching it. She told me it got nothing but terrible reviews. And, as it turned out, it mostly did. But I was exhausted from work, and felt the need for some mindless entertainment. “I’m going to give it five minutes,” I told her. And I watched the entire thing.

Not because it was any good. But because it achieved my purpose in giving it a go: It completely distracted me for two solid hours. It was bad in many ways, but it was never dull. And at the end, I had to admit, I liked it.

The Plot 

The movie has no plot. Here’s how I’d describe it: Imagine the first five minutes of any James Bond you’ve ever seen and multiply it by 10. Then keep it going, without rhyme or reason, for 120 minutes.

Just to give you an idea, so you’ll be prepared: One of the two principals, a 110-pound woman, runs around a compound being shot at by dozens of machine guns, carrying a rocket launcher on her back, taking down helicopters and killing at least three dozen highly trained soldiers in less than three minutes.

Critical Reception 

* “All that effort and all that money should have paid for a better screenplay.” (Robert Levin, Newsday)

* “It’s a big, noisy, explosive adrenaline rush – a live-action spin on that old MAD magazine comic, ‘Spy vs. Spy’ – and about as deep.” (Gary M. Kramer, Salon)

* “It’s kind of like watching a movie that’s a trailer for itself.” (Peter Rainer, NPR)

You can watch the trailer here.