The Gray Man (2022 film)

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The Gray Man
The Gray Man poster.png
Release poster
Directed byAnthony Russo
Joe Russo
Screenplay by
Based onThe Gray Man
by Mark Greaney
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyStephen F. Windon
Edited by
Music byHenry Jackman
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • July 22, 2022 (2022-07-22)
Running time
129 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$200 million[1]
Box office$360,776[2]

The Gray Man is a 2022 American action thriller film directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, from a screenplay the latter co-wrote with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Mark Greaney. The film stars Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, Regé-Jean Page, Dhanush, Wagner Moura, Julia Butters, Alfre Woodard, and Billy Bob Thornton. Produced by the Russo brothers' company, AGBO, it is the first film in a franchise based upon Greaney's Gray Man novels. The film focuses on the CIA agent Court Gentry, who is on the run from sadistic mercenary Lloyd Hanson upon discovering corrupt secrets about his superior.

An adaption of Greaney's novel was originally announced in 2011, with James Gray set to direct Brad Pitt, and later Charlize Theron in a gender-swapped role, though neither version ever came to fruition. The property lingered in development hell until July 2020, when it was announced the Russo brothers would direct, with both Gosling and Evans attached to star. Filming began in Los Angeles in March 2021, before wrapping in Prague that July. With a production budget of $200 million, it is among the most expensive films made by Netflix.

The Gray Man began a limited theatrical release on July 15, 2022, followed by its digital release on Netflix on July 22. It received mixed reviews from critics with praise for the ensemble cast, but criticism toward the "clichéd script and breakneck pacing."[3] The film will be followed by a sequel with Gosling reprising his role and a spin-off.[4]

Plot

In 2003, senior CIA official Donald Fitzroy visits a prisoner. Eight years earlier the prisoner was a minor convicted of killing his abusive father to protect his brother. Fitzroy offers the man his freedom in exchange for working as an assassin in the CIA's Sierra program.

In 2021, on a mission in Bangkok, the murderer, "Sierra Six," is working with fellow CIA agent Dani Miranda to assassinate a target suspected of selling off national security secrets. He is unable to do so stealthily without harming civilians and attacks the target directly, mortally wounding him. Before dying, the target reveals that he worked in the Sierra program as Sierra Four, and hands Six an encrypted drive detailing the corruption of CIA official Denny Carmichael, who is the lead agent on the assassination mission. Carmichael is elusive about the true purpose of the mission and the contents of the drive when confronted by Six, and Six refuses evacuation from Bangkok with Carmichael's men, calling a now-retired Fitzroy to request extraction.

Carmichael hires mercenary Lloyd Hansen, a former CIA agent kicked out of the agency for his sociopathic tendencies, to track down Six and retrieve the drive. Hansen does so by kidnapping Fitzroy's niece Claire, forcing Fitzroy to authorize Six's murder by the extraction team. However, Six kills them and escapes.

Frustrated, Carmichael sends his subordinate Suzanne Brewer to oversee Hansen and keep him in line. Hansen keeps Claire hostage in a mansion in Croatia, where he has based his operations. Hansen also puts a bounty on Six's head to attract mercenaries and assassins to hunt him down. Six heads to Vienna to find Claire's pacemaker's serial number from Laszlo Sosa, but Sosa betrays him for the bounty. Six escapes just as Hansen arrives with his team, and is rescued by Miranda. Miranda's reputation is in tatters following the Bangkok mission and she initially plans to bring him in to salvage her career at the CIA. Six convinces her to drive him to Cahill's apartment, where she decrypts the drive, which reveals the extent of Carmichael's corruption on behalf of a mysterious benefactor working for a shadow government.

Hansen sends several teams of assassins to Cahill's home, and the terminally ill Cahill blows up her home to give Six and Miranda a chance to escape. Six is arrested and handcuffed in the square. A shootout in the streets of Prague follows and Six escapes on a tram. A long chase and gun battle ensues, and Six is saved by Miranda, in Cahill's bulletproof car. The two infiltrate a hospital to track down Claire through the wireless signal broadcast from her pacemaker. The mercenary "Lone Wolf" steals the drive from them, knocking them out, and brings the drive to Hansen.

Six and Miranda follow the pacemaker to Hansen's base. Miranda creates a distraction while Six infiltrates the mansion and rescues Fitzroy and Claire. Fitzroy is mortally wounded as they flee and sacrifices himself in a failed attempt to kill Hansen. Miranda knocks out Hansen's men, but Lone Wolf narrowly escapes. He defeats Miranda in a fight but gives her the drive, having become disgusted with Hansen's willingness to kill children and his lack of morals.

Hansen manages to take Claire hostage and drags her into a hedge maze. After a standoff, Hansen lets go of Claire and fights with Six. Before Six can kill him, Hansen is shot and killed by Brewer, who tells Six that she plans to pin Carmichael's actions on Hansen in order to gain leverage over him. Furthermore, Brewer pledges Claire's safety but only if Six continues to work for the CIA. Six and Miranda are forced to co-operate in the cover-up, where ultimately no action is taken against Carmichael. After the debriefing at the CIA headquarters, Miranda threatens to kill Carmichael if any harm comes to Claire. Six escapes custody and frees Claire, who is being held at a secret location.

Cast

Production

Development

The project was first set up at New Regency, with James Gray set to direct a screenplay written by Adam Cozad in January 2011.[5] Brad Pitt was initially cast to star, but by October 2015 he and Gray were no longer involved with the film. Charlize Theron entered talks to star in a genderswapped version of the film at Sony Pictures, with Anthony and Joe Russo writing the screenplay.[6][7]

Casting

No further development was announced until July 2020, when the Russo brothers were announced to direct the film, from a screenplay by Joe Russo, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, with additional material written by Anna Gregory, Charles Leavitt, Rhett Reese, Joe Schrapnel, and Paul Wernick, for Netflix, with the intention to spawn a franchise. Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans were cast to star in the film.[1][8] In December, Dhanush, Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, Wagner Moura, and Julia Butters were added to the cast.[9][10] Regé-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard, Eme Ikwuakor, and Scott Haze joined the cast in March 2021.[11][12] An April article about shooting in Prague had Michael Gandolfini included in the cast.[13] In May 2021, DeObia Oparei joined the cast of the film.[14]

Filming

Filming was to commence on January 18, 2021, in Long Beach, California,[15][16] but was pushed back to March 1.[17][15] Page wrapped his role within the first month of shooting.[18] It filmed in Europe in the spring,[19] with locations including Prague, Czech Republic, the Château de Chantilly in France and Croatia.[20][21][22] Filming in Prague took place from June 27, 2021.[23][24] Filming wrapped on July 31, 2021.[25]

Release

The Gray Man began a limited theatrical release on July 15, 2022, followed by its release on Netflix on July 22.[26][27] Though Netflix does not report theatrical grosses for its titles, distribution insiders estimated the film made around $200,000 from about 400 theaters in its opening weekend.[28] IndieWire estimated the film made $300,000–375,000 over its first full week of theatrical release.[29]

Reception

Viewership

Netflix reported the film was streamed for a total of 88.55 million hours over its first three days, which would equal around 43.55 million viewers. It was the most-watched film in 84 countries.[29]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 46% of 232 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's consensus reads, "The Gray Man has the star-studded outline of an entertaining action thriller, but it's filled in with lukewarm leftovers from far better films."[30] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 49 out of 100, based on 55 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[31]

Future

Sequel

Scott Stuber, head of original films on Netflix, expressed his interest in future Gray Man films, saying: "We're excited to continue to partner with the Russo brothers and the team at AGBO as they build out The Gray Man universe."[32] After the film's debut weekend, a sequel was announced with Gosling and the Russo brothers returning to their respective roles.[29]

Spin-off

A spin-off film, which will explore a different element of The Gray Man universe, will be written by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese.[33][34]

References

  1. ^ a b Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 17, 2020). "Netflix Commits Largest Budget So Far For 'The Gray Man;' Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans Star, AGBO'S Joe & Anthony Russo Direct Mano A Mano Espionage Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  2. ^ "The Gray Man (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  3. ^ "'The Gray Man' Review Roundup: A 'Throwback' Action Movie That's 'Listless' and Full of 'Tropes and Cliches'". Variety. July 14, 2022. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  4. ^ "The Gray Man sequel and spinoff are in development at Netflix". JoBlo.com. July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr (January 14, 2011). "James Gray To Direct 'The Gray Man'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  6. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr (August 15, 2011). "Brad Pitt To Star In Regency's 'The Gray Man'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  7. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr (October 12, 2015). "Charlize Theron Prompts Protagonist Gender Change For Sony's 'The Gray Man'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  8. ^ "The Gray Man". Writers Guild of America West. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  9. ^ Kroll, Justin (December 11, 2020). "Ana De Armas Joins Ryan Gosling And Chris Evans In Russo Brothers' 'The Gray Man' For Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  10. ^ Kroll, Justin (December 17, 2020). "Jessica Henwick, Wagner Moura, Dhanush And Julia Butters Join The Russo Brothers' 'Gray Man' Starring Ryan Gosling". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  11. ^ Kroll, Justin (March 3, 2021). "'Bridgerton' Star Regé-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton And Alfre Woodard Join Ryan Gosling In The Russo Brothers' 'The Gray Man' For Netflix and AGBO". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  12. ^ "'The Gray Man': Eme Ikwuakor & Scott Haze Join The Russo Brother's Netflix Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. March 24, 2021. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  13. ^ "Prague to play Bangkok in 'The Gray Man', starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans". The Prague Reporter. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  14. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (May 24, 2021). "'Game of Thrones' Actor DeObia Oparei Cast in 'The Gray Man' From Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  15. ^ a b "The Gray Man". Production List. Film & Television Industry Alliance. January 25, 2021. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  16. ^ Kroll, Justin (December 18, 2020). "Universal Lands AGBO's Adaptation Of 'The Electric State' With Millie Bobby Brown Starring, The Russo Brothers Directing And Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely Writing". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  17. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (December 18, 2020). "Netflix Pushes 'The Gray Man' Start Over California's Rise In Positive Covid Tests; Streamer's Biggest Tentpole Is In Pre-Production". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  18. ^ "Inside Rege-Jean Page's 'Bridgerton' Departure". The Hollywood Reporter. April 6, 2021. Archived from the original on April 7, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  19. ^ "'The Gray Man' Will Kick Off a Franchise, Confirm Russo Brothers; Filming Date Revealed". Collider. December 5, 2020. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  20. ^ "Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans thriller 'The Gray Man' to shoot in Prague this spring". The Prague Reporter. March 12, 2021. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  21. ^ "Not Only Dhanush, This Indian Actress to be Part of Russo Brothers' 'The Gray Man'". MSN. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  22. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (June 2, 2021). "France Lures Back Big American Shoots as Pandemic Slows Down Locally (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  23. ^ Pirodsky, Jason. "'The Gray Man', with Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling, begins Prague shoot this month". The Prague Reporter. Archived from the original on June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  24. ^ "The Gray Man location guide: Where was Netflix movie filmed?". Radio Times. July 22, 2021. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  25. ^ Jirak, Jamie (July 31, 2021). "The Russo Brothers Wrap Filming on The Gray Man With Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling". comicbook.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  26. ^ Kroll, Justin (April 27, 2022). "Netflix Announces Summer Slate Including Dates For Jamie Foxx's Day Shift And Kevin Hart's Me Time". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  27. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (July 13, 2022). "'Only in Theaters': Inside Hollywood's Campaign to Get Audiences Back to the Big Screens". Variety. Archived from the original on July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022. Though the film will have a limited theatrical release on July 15 prior to landing on Netflix on July 22, "The Gray Man" will not be playing in most of the nation's cinemas.
  28. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 16, 2022). "'Thor: Love And Thunder' Falling -68% In Weekend 2; 'Crawdads' Carrying $17M Tune – Sunday AM Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  29. ^ a b c Maglio, Tony (July 26, 2022). "'The Gray Man' Falls Just Short of 'The Kissing Booth 3' as Netflix's Fifth-Best Movie Debut". IndieWire. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  30. ^ "The Gray Man". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  31. ^ "The Gray Man". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  32. ^ "The Gray Man Sequel and Spinoff in Development at Netflix, Ryan Gosling Returning". Comicbook.com. July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  33. ^ "The Gray Man Is Already Getting a Sequel and a Spin-Off". IGN. July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  34. ^ "'The Gray Man' sequel announced; Dhanush to get a spin-off of his character Avik San?".

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