‘The Gray Man’ Review: Netflix’s Attempted Blockbuster Has All the Ingredients for a Summer Hit But It Sadly Fizzles

One of the main issues with The Gray Man is that it doesn't have a compelling villain. In the age of anti-heroes and antagonists taking the spot of protagonists, it seems as if the entertainment world has mastered the character we love to hate. Yet, Sierra Six's adversaries in the film never fully make sense.

As Hansen, Evans is supposed to play a notoriously unscrupulous killer, and one of the best of his kind. Yet, throughout the movie, he's really not that scary, except for a few moments of unexpected torture that feel out of place in a film with mildly violent action sequences and hand-to-hand combat. Meanwhile, Hansen is often screwing up or letting other people handle his dirty work, so it's hard to imagine how he attained this terrifying status.

Meanwhile, Page is given little space to develop Carmichael as a villain either, and it's hard to find this CIA officer intimidating when his lines include moments like telling Six to “kill the bad guys.” Sadly, Carmichael turns out to be more cheesy than threatening.

In the end, one of the best parts of The Gray Man is its humor. For those who are used to the comical moments that the Russo brothers imbued into their Marvel films, the same can be expected in The Gray Man.

Gosling is characteristically laugh-out-loud funny, delivering his lines with a biting wit and terrific facial expressions. Evans meanwhile, adds another layer of humor whenever his character interacts with Gosling's, and their repartee is a highlight of the 2-hour flick. Additionally, de Armas shines in her role, and one moment where her character mocks Six for throwing her an unloaded gun is also quite memorable.

However, The Gray Man can't decide how seriously it wants to be taken. Six, as a main character, is given little background, except for a small tidbit that is shared toward the end of the film (we won't spoil here), which still doesn't add any roundness to his character. Unfortunately, The Gray Man just doesn't offer enough depth to make it stand out.

If you're looking for a mindless summer action flick, then The Gray Man will certainly suffice, with plenty of talented actors and Hollywood magic to keep the story moving along. However, with odd tonal shifts, unsatisfying villains and little character development, the action of The Gray Man seems low stakes, and it feels as if we could fill our time by watching the better spy movies that came before it instead.

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