FILM REVIEW
IN THE GREY
Rated R
98 Minutes
Released May 15th
Director Guy Ritchie is a master of international action films, and he pulls out all the stops here. In the Grey is a sleek, well-planned, and intelligent classic action movie. The story takes place mostly on a sparsely populated island surrounded by nothing but ocean, and the good guys are fighting the bad guys not with modern weapons such as computerized drones and missiles, but machine guns and hand-to-hand fighting, old-style. Much of modern warfare would not be nearly as exciting to watch.
The beginning of the film sets a beating pulse of action right away, and the rhythm never lets up. Ritchie lays out the details of the plot in the storyline as “Bronco,” the leader of the team, played by the always charismatic Jake Gyllenhaal, explains the strategy to his cohorts – what they hope will happen and possible variations in case of unexpected developments.
Bronco sets up the audience and his team with what they hope to achieve with each step in extracting their target, “Rachel,” from captivity on the island. So, the audience becomes part of the team and is now invested, and it’s understood that the title, In the Grey, references that this squad lives in the shadows – they prefer to remain stealth, unknown, unseen, until their skills and courage are needed.
Looking at the cast list before going to the theatre, I thought the movie would be mostly a male story. But within the first few seconds of the film, it becomes clear that the two lead females in the story, “Rachel” played by Eiza Gonzalez and “Bobby” played by Rosamund Pike, hold the power. The cast is well-balanced.
Rachel’s character is played with powerful energy by Gonzalez, but the role held two distractions for me personally. Rachel wears mostly white or cream silk blouses and dress suits, and no matter how rough, wild, and dirty her surroundings are, her clothing remains spotless and wrinkle-free. “Was this some newly developed textile?” I wondered, rather than focusing on the plot at that moment. I’m sure we’d like to know where she purchased her outfits. I’m the kind of person who will forget that I have on a dress suit and get down and dirty, creating a mass of rips and stains.
I’ll have to say the “spotless” phenomenon does go with the character’s personality. Even when Rachel is in a situation that would make a normal person pass out or at least sweat, she remains cool. Maybe she should have given the audience a “James Bond” wink, but she is a deadly mercenary, so that would have been out of character. The only other part of the story that bothered me personally is that when all the guys around her are shooting rapid-fire at each other in a wild “Jeep” chase, Rachel is ducking and covering. She never grabs a gun and shoots back. That’s probably the smartest way to behave, but to me, her personality dictated that she was one who would say, “Give me a gun!”
The cast of this movie is exceptional. Jake Gyllenhaal has built a career of playing versions of the flawed and vulnerable “everyman,” adding quirks and mystery. In this film, he is the leader of the team. Of Ritchie’s directing style, he notes, “with Guy, there is a lot of improvisation, a lot of discovery…lines change in the moment, scenes shift on the day, that kind of thing keeps you incredibly present.”
Henry Cavill is “Sid,” the co-leader of the group. Cavill started acting as a child, and at that time asked his hero, Russell Crowe, for advice on his career. Crowe replied, “Dear Henry, A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Years later, when Cavill was cast as “Superman” in Man of Steel, Crowe played his father.
Multi-talented Gonzalez rose to fame in the brilliant indie film Baby Driver in 2017. Before that, she had made appearances in Mexican film and TV since the age of 16, and she is also a singer/songwriter with albums released in 2009 and 2012. She speaks four languages and is now an international star.
Carlos Bardem, Javier’s older brother, is not only an excellent actor but also a novelist with several published works. Here, he plays a complex, intense bad guy.
Ritchie knows how to engage the audience as part of the action, preparing for the dangerous extraction, planning it, and carrying it out. When things go wrong, we instinctively try to figure out how to rectify the situation. The chase scenes are beautifully choreographed with great tension, rhythm, and balance. There is nothing highly unusual about the plot, the chase, or the journey. Personally, I like more twists, unexpected turns of fate, and complex characters. However, for chases, suspense, speed, gripping fight choreography, and great use of landscape, Ritchie is one of the best in the business.
Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com.
