'The Gray Man' is currently streaming on Netflix. In this section, we are going to review the latest American action thriller streaming on OTT.

Story:

A CIA agent is sought to be nabbed by a sociopathic hitman in a stupendous turn of events. Ryan Gosling is seen as the Sierra Six aka the Gray Man who works for the CIA. He finds out that certain higher-ups in the agency are using him to eliminate some former employees and encounters a piece of crucial evidence against his higher-ups that they have gone sideways. Then, the villains want to hunt Six down and get their hands on the evidence.

Analysis:

This Netflix release has managed to amass a degree of craze in India because of its directors (Russo Brothers) as well as the casting. Actors Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans shoulder the actioner with complete command and conviction. The setting of a cat and mouse game may not be high on intrigue but the performances lend the proceedings an aura of its own.

Ana De Armas of 'No Time To Die' fame delivers a helpful performance, while Rege-Jean Page, Julia Butters and Billy Bob Thornton fit the bill. So much can be said about Dhanush's appearance, and his character is going to grow in importance in the sequel.

For those of us who have watched stories in a similar setting in the past, 'The Gray Man' would come across as inadequate in terms of writing. The twists and turns cease to matter after a point, if at all some plot turns can even be called twists or big reveals. The straightforward style of narrating the to-the-point story does take its toll.

Many Hollywood projects suffer from a template. Some or the other danger happens in almost all major scenes. Every five minutes, there is a bad thing happening. To an extent, 'The Gray Man' avoids the cliche-ridden template.

Undoubtedly, what holds here are the fights. The action setpieces have been lauded by the audience and the critics community because they are exhilarating. The very locales in which the film was shot are spell-binding.

Henry Jackman's musical score and Stephen F Windon's cinematography make for a good watch. Jeff Groth and Pietro Scalia's editing is appropriate.

The screenplay by Joe Russo, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely could have been far better. Despite the action scenes being able, the film doesn't give non-stop excitement. This work of adaptation needed incredible writing moments and flashes of exuberance to keep us engaged throughout without diluting the impact of the novel on which it is based.

Made on a budget of 200 million dollars, its visuals own the audience's respect.  

Verdict:

This adaptation of Mark Greaney's 2009 novel by the same name could have been so much better. It is watchable for its action scenes and performances.