‘The Gray Man’ Review: Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling-Starrer Is Fun but Little Else

Joe and Anthony Russo know how to craft a visual spectacle, as is evident from the larger-than-life Marvel films they’ve helmed but does this craft translate to good cinema when it comes to The Gray Man? It's debatable.

The film has Ryan Gosling in the lead as an agent named Six (naming him Seven would probably be stepping on ol' Bond's toes) whose assignment derails his career and makes him a target. Mostly to Chris Evans as the ruthless mercenary Lloyd Hansen.

Six is a hired killer too but he's a man of morals- he won't kill kids, for instance. But Lloyd has no similar reservations, in fact he has no reservations at all. He mechanically kills and chases, in such a delicious deviation from his Captain America morality.

The film is also…funny, especially because of Gosling's well-delivered one-liners (he's right about the 'trash stache'). The Gray Man isn't glaringly original- John Wick and James Bond have done it all before and this film isn't good enough to hold a candle to those.

If you're looking for a film with depth in its story or its characters, The Gray Man isn't it. Even though Six gets a dark backstory, the treatment is so superficial that it doesn't click.

But, to the Russo brothers' and the writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely's credit, the action sequences are elaborate and mesmerising- be it the fight and flight sequence in a rapidly descending plane or my personal favourite, an equally matched Ana de Armas and Dhanush engaged in combat.

Armas and Dhanush are both brilliant and reserved in their roles (which are both so hollow for actors of their calibre). But when a film is made at such a large scale with little to no time for the actors to explore the 'gray' shades of their characters, what can one expect?

The Gray Man, with its multiple action set pieces, has an incredible cast and their roles work for them like expertly tailored suits.

The razzle dazzle of the action sequences makes the film fun but I really wish so much of the film wasn't shot in the dark with a Conjuring-like filter.

There might be a The Gray Man franchise coming (if fans' wishful thinking and some reports are to be believed) and I hope the Russo brothers can build upon a fun one-time watch and the shoulders of its impressive cast and create magic.

The Gray Man is streaming on Netflix.