Netflix’s The Gray Man is a hit with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. It would seem the viewing public disagrees with the professional impressions of the most expensive movie the streamer’s ever made. At the time of writing, the audience score sits at 90% freshness. On the other side, the critics score is all the way down at 50%. That’s a pretty big gulf, but also similar to other big blockbuster movies that haven’t fared well with critics over time. Audiences just love these big spectacle action movies in a way that’s hard to quantify. It will be interesting to see how the project fares on streaming and in theaters as things move along.
Comicbook.com’s Spencer Perry enjoyed the spectacle of Netflix’s latest mega-release. But, he did note that it felt very familiar in some specific sort of ways during his review for the site.
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“The Gray Man sees Marvel favorites Anthony and Joe Russo return to the world of blockbuster movie-making. Huge stars, giant set pieces, even bigger title cards announcing each of the locations; it’s almost like they’re back in the MCU, for better and worse,” Perry said. “Consider every kind of espionage narrative trope as part of a checklist and The Gray Man will likely cross it off at some point. But the re-tread of the expectations of the genre aren’t a total drag, since the charisma of its cast is what will keep your attention even as the movie bounces around to new locations and countries almost every five minutes. The pacing feels fine throughout, though it’s clear every character in the story is moving at video-game fast-travel speeds between shots.”
Here’s how Netflix describes their spy thriller: “THE GRAY MAN is CIA operative Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling), aka, Sierra Six. Plucked from a federal penitentiary and recruited by his handler, Donald Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton), Gentry was once a highly-skilled, Agency-sanctioned merchant of death. But now the tables have turned and Six is the target, hunted across the globe by Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), a former cohort at the CIA, who will stop at nothing to take him out. Agent Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas) has his back. He’ll need it.”
“Also starring Ana de Armas, with Regé-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton, Jessica Henwick, Dhanush, Wagner Moura and Alfre Woodard. Based on the novel The Gray Man by Mark Greaney, the screenplay is by Joe Russo, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely”
Did you love The Gray Man? Let us know down in the comments!
