
'The Gray Man' puts Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in spy mode as Netflix flexes its action muscle
CNN
"The Gray Man's" biggest muscle flex doesn't come from Ryan Gosling or Chris Evans (not that they're slackers), but rather the overall casting, throwing in Ana de Armas after her butt-kicking Bond role as well as Regé-Jean Page post-"Bridgerton," Jessica Henwick ("The Matrix") and Indian star Dhanush. The script, alas, is a bit of a 98-pound weakling, but given the escapist demands probably sufficient to get the job done.
Indeed, "Gray Man" comes from the "Red Notice" school of loud if not-all-that-colorful Netflix action movies, where casting, social-media clout and superhero cred in the key cast makes the quality basically irrelevant. Never mind the movie, the poster alone, including "Avengers" directors the Russo brothers, practically ensures astronomical "minutes viewed" numbers.
Even less than "Red," though, "Gray Man" doesn't really measure up to the hype, which includes the obligatory advance theatrical release to grease the wheels for its streaming assault.