In the Grey (2026)
Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Wrath of Man) can be a very hit-or-miss director. Unfortunately, his newest effort In the Grey is one of his biggest misses.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Henry Cavill play Bronco and Sid, two operatives who help a lawyer (Eiza Gonzalez) track down a billion dollars that's been stolen from an asset management firm by a ruthless businessman (Carlos Bardem) with his own private island and an army of thugs at his disposal.
While In the Grey is mercifully brief at 98 minutes, roughly two-thirds of the film is dedicated to planning and discussion of the mission. It's a veritable avalanche of expository dialogue. When the mission finally kicks in, it's mostly Bronco and Sid and their men mowing down a bunch of anonymous henchmen.
None of the characters distinguish themselves. Bronco and Sid are little more than delivery mechanisms for stale quips. Bronco and Sid's team are as interchangeable as the bad guys they spend the final half hour killing. The villains spend most of the film just seeming completely overmatched at all times. They never feel like a real threat to the heroes. Ritchie knows how to direct a good action scene, but none of the ones here distinguish themselves in any way.
In
the Grey feels
like a film from a writer/director who's run out of ideas. Ritchie was able to
rebound after his career hit a rough stretch in the early to mid 2000s. Here's
to hoping he finds his way again.
