By Steve Crum

The great entertainer, Jimmy Durante, first said his catchphrase a century ago: “I’m surrounded by assassins!” That line is apropos for 2022’s spy vs spy spectacular, The Gray Man, 129 minutes of nearly non-stop action and violence. 

Clearly, it is a movie as devoted to fists, guns, and kicking as much as the Fast and Furious series showcases speeding cars. In fact, The Gray Man is the first in a planned series based upon Mark Greaney’s novel of the same title. Banking on the success of this first adaptation, which has been showing on Netflix since its limited theatrical release, is key. It is a big bucks gamble, among the most expensive production budgets in Netflix history. 

But so far, so very OK. The popularity of The Gray Man is attributable to its production team, including the screenplay and direction: The Russo Brothers, Joe and Anthony. Joe helped write the movie; Anthony and Joe directed. (Joe even has an unbilled acting role.) The two have teamed numerous times previously, handling similar duties on four Marvel movies (2 Captain Americas and 2 Avengers). And their list goes on from the Emmy Award winning TV series, Arrested Development, to a dozen other movies and TV shows. 

Stars Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans lead a capable cast that includes Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard, Ana de Armas and Jessica Henwick. Their “capability” also rests on their gymnastic abilities to kick box, jump, fisticuff, and fire weaponry. The arsenal and action are seemingly endless here. 

I will not get into plot specifics for a couple of reasons. The first is the spoiler factor. Secondly, there are so many characters, possessing so many similar names. For example, Ryan Gosling’s “Court” Gentry is a CIA black ops assassin  given the code name “Sierra Six.” Then there is “Sierra Four.” Add to the mix assassins like the Chris Evans’ psychopathic Lloyd Hansen, who is hired to capture Six. While the plot thickens, per se, why not add even more CIA agents and more assassins? Who is to be trusted? 

Before answering that ongoing question, Six is repeatedly either attacked or trying to physically thwart some bad guys—and gals. There is even a huge twist on this theme at the film’s conclusion. (It surprised me!)

Really, the action is so engulfing that one forgets to take any reasoning breather. 

I have to add that the Russos’ casting of their Captain America good guy Chris Evans is brilliant. It is against type, but it works beautifully. What a great baddie. 

The Gray Man is a fun and frantic diversion which is a somewhat distant cousin to James Bond’s 007 and all the other secret agent “O’s.” Gosling is no Sean Connery or Daniel Craig, but he does nicely as Six. 

The meaning of the title The Gray Man? It is never explained but infers “ghost” or “chameleon”—perfect qualities to have when hiding. 

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: B