The Gray Man Movie Review: Dhanush's Hollywood Film Is Flashy And Brutal But Not Satisfying

This Mark Greaney debut novel-turned-film (by the Russo Brothers of Captain America and Avengers fame) has Ryan Gosling as Sierra Six, a criminal-turned-CIA-assassin. He is suddenly being hunted by assassins from all over the world because of some incriminating evidence he has uncovered about his reporting chief. Ana de Armas is another CIA operative who becomes the only person Six can trust. Chris Evans plays Lloyd Hansen, a murderous psychopath, tasked with getting rid of Six. Indian superstar Dhanush plays Avik San, another assassin.

That's as much of the story you need to know. Don't look for character development or smart plotting here. Even dialogues are pretty much cryptic - of course, none of the characters have enough time to talk in sentences. There's just too much action and stunts happening in The Gray Man...and no room to plot some meaningful byplay. The narrative is racy and eventfull - full of firepower - but it's all so flashily done that it becomes imminently forgettable.

Dhanush - The Tamil Superstar in The Gray Man

Dhanush, the Indian Tamil superstar has a sidebar role as yet another assassin sent out for the kill. He has obviously been chosen to broad base acceptance of this thriller actioner across NRI residencies all over the world, in addition to the southern states of India. As Avik San, Dhanush does have a crucial role to play coming in at the fag-end when other assassins sent before him have failed in their task. He also gets to be the only killer with a modicum of morality. His questioning look when tasked with killing a female speaks for itself. Frankly speaking, there's no room for such sentimentality in a film replete with violence, bloodshed and an innumerable body count - not to mention the humungous destruction of public property and disruption of lives across continents.

How do Ryan Gosling And Chris Evans Fare?

While the screenplay makes its characters feel routine and indistinct, the actors fail to live-up to 'the gray man' construct of being unmemorable.

Ryan Gosling wears flashy, coloured clothes and is always in the middle of catastrophes, while Chris Evans plays the crazy guy who happily orchestrates such devastations.

The hero's backstory involves a criminal past that seems rather timid when revealed while higher-ups in the CIA are the ones playing power hungry backstabbers all out to snuff out their own brethren.

An orphaned girl's story is part of the attempt here to lend some softness to the heroism on display. It all seems very much calculated as per box-office demands. But the mix is not strong enough and feels way too contrived to garner involvement or affection.

Verdict

The Gray Man is a film full of flash and dash that looks good but never feels good!

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