In The Grey review by Bobby Blakey
Director Guy Ritchie continues to bring some great films to audiences including his Sherlock Holmes series, The Gentleman, Aladdin, Wrath of Man, Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre and the underappreciated The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. His latest film In The Grey reteams him with Henry Cavill along with Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza González, Fisher Stevens, Rosamund Pike and Manny Salazar, but does it bring the same style, and action fans hope for or will it fail to make the extraction?
In The Grey follows a covert team of elite operatives who live in the global shadows, as comfortable wielding power and influence as they are automatic weapons and high explosives. When a ruthless despot steals a billion-dollar fortune, the team is sent to steal it back on what would be for anyone else a suicide mission. What begins as an impossible heist gets much worse, spiraling into an all-out war of strategy, deception and survival.
As a fan of pretty much every Guy Ritchie film I was eager to see what he was bringing to the table this time around. As expected, it’s fast paced, quick-witted dialogue and a story that hits all the right notes. There isn’t anything here all that original as we have seen plenty of heist like stories, but the cast and direction keep you invested and brings the action when needed. There isn’t a ton of action, but the final act more than makes up for it with plenty of guns, explosions and booby traps.
Gyllenhaal and Cavill are the perfect duo that walk the line of serious and humor without missing a beat. They work in harmony while also creating friction without being counterproductive like good friends as opposed to colleagues. To my real surprise though is González who is always good, but she brings an aura of
confidence and fast dialogue to be the believable voice and face behind it all. They are a great trio for this type of story and one I would be lying if I didn’t want to see them back together on another case.
The majority of the film relies on the description of their ultimate plan which could have some across as tedious and annoying, but is crafted like only Ritchie can to make for something entertaining and stylistic. No moment is lost as everything is used and revisited in great ways for a good payoff. While there are always things that don’t go as planned and people lost along the way, I love that they didn’t rely on the usual plan mistakes and allow the professionals to execute flawlessly and in turn makes for a reason why they are who they are.
The ending, while satisfying, is abrupt and might throw some, but I think it was handled perfectly and yet another great film to Ritchie’s filmography. I hope it finds the audience it deserves because it is highly entertaining and worth checking out.
Decide for yourself and check out In The Grey in theaters now from Black Bear.