Netflix‘s woes refuse to abate. In the most recent setback to the streamer, critics have ripped into its ambitious, highly anticipated, much-publicised spy thriller, ‘The Gray Man’. Netflix, even in its worst nightmare, would not have expected such terrible reviews for its tent pole film, ‘The Gray Man‘. That the film turned out to be every critic’s worst nightmare is another matter altogether.
For the record, ‘The Gray Man’ is rated ‘rotten’ on ratings aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes. The star-studded film is rated a lowly 53% from 38 critics reviews. This, when the film has just had a limited US theatrical release, and hasn’t even released on Netflix yet. It is a foregone conclusion that once The Gray Man hits Netflix globally, its Rotten Tomatoes rating will plummet like a ton of bricks.
Which makes one wonder, what is it about ‘The Gray Man’ that has earned it no bouquets, only brickbats?
A cursory look at some reviews will give us a better clue –
The critic at The Independent says, “The Gray Man comes off as oddly limp and airless. Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and a wasted Ana de Armas star in a movie so slick and empty that it resembles a luxury hotel ad”.
Phew, savage!
The Globe & Mail says about the film, “Netflix’s The Gray Man is flaccid action that not even Chris Evans’ pornstache can save. It is a thriller made by people who know what great thrillers can do, but without the ability to make one themselves.”
Another top critic calls The Gray Man, “A bad parody of a terrible Michael Bay movie”.
BBC’s rating is especially withering. It says, “The Gray Man is a film that never seems to know what it’s doing, or why. The irony is that it keeps trying to be The Bourne Identity, and yet it still ends up with an identity crisis.”
The Guardian says, “There’s plenty of gonzo action but no heart and no real dramatic voltage.”
Slant magazine’s critic says, “The Gray Man is a noisy, flashy spectacle that piles clichés atop ludicrous plotting and sprinkles it all with half-funny quips”.
Some more comments for The Gray Man
Yet another critic says, “Even Ryan Gosling and evil Chris Evans can’t save Netflix’s so-so spy film”.
All of the above point to just one thing – ‘The Gray Man’ is a flashy, expensive-looking film, but grossly lacking in heart or soul. The particularly caustic reviews for The Gray Man make it amply clear that no substance and all style make even the most expensive movies not worth anyone’s while!
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