'The Gray Man' is a costly dud

The Gray Man

English (Netflix)

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Rege-Jean Page

Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Rating: 2.5/5

The most interesting character in The Gray Man is not Dhanush, sorry fans, but the one who addresses him as my "Tamil friend". That's Chris Evans, the former Captain America. In the humdrum but sleek world of this $200 million Netflix extravaganza, he plays Lloyd Hansen, an unhinged moustached mercenary who's a closet intellectual given to winking at the camera every now and then. He also shouts stuff like "don't say preternatural" to his cronies and loves quirky torture. No, it was not cute.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Tamil friend swishes in and out (he also wears a cloak) in the last half-hour of the movie. But the cameo works, largely because of the stylish actor's undeniable screen presence. The same cannot be said about the movie, which despite its slick splice-n-slice action, great production values and big names, is just another costly dud from the curiously ideas-bereft Netflix stable.

It starts interestingly enough with Ryan Gosling playing 'Six', a member of a network of undercover assassins who do the CIA's dirty work. While on a routine assignment, he comes across some damning information about his current boss Denny Carmichael (played by Rege-Jean Page of Bridgerton fame). As an aside, there will be many who will not forgive the makers for converting the much-adored Duke into a self-absorbed and boringly villainous CIA boss.

And so, predictably, the chase begins and does not end. One set-piece fight follows another, interspersed with Rohit Shettyesque blowing up of planes and cars. After two hours of I-will-chase-you-out-of-your- wits through all the scenic locales in Europe, the viewer is yawning though Ryan Gosling is not. However, he continues to look like the eye-candy that he is.

With such a generous budget, stars of this calibre and the directors of 'Avengers: The Endgame at the helm', one expects fireworks. But the viewer has to be satisfied with a spectacular display of pyrotechnics in the opening scene.