In the Grey

In the Grey
Starring Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza Gonzalez, Carlos Bardem
Directed by Guy Ritchie

There was a time where Guy Ritchie was one of the most sought-after action directors in Hollywood. With hits like "Snatch," "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels," and especially "Sherlock Holmes." His style is uniquely his: relentless editing, exquisite locations, fashion to the nines, self-mocking machismo and a character's verbal summary of a plan intercut with scenes of the actions being performed. Maybe it became too generic, but with the exception of his live-action remake of "Aladdin" (which doesn't include much of his original style), recent Ritchie films have been met with shrugs rather than shouts. "Fountain of Youth," "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare," "The Covenant," "Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre" and the like are churned out by the year with no fanfare, and fade into obscurity almost immediately. "In the Grey" will follow suit, an appropriate action film that checks off all the Ritchie hallmarks and is exciting to see, but once you leave the theater you'll almost immediately forget about it.

Rachel Wild (Eiza Gonzalez) works for a company that recovers money from people who have borrowed it but not returned it, but it's more than just a couple hundred dollars. She's hired to retrieve a billion dollars loaned by criminal dictator Manny Salazar (Carlos Bardem - brother of Javier Bardem) who owns his own island and who has the entire police force and military at his command. Rachel enlists her two best men: Sid (Henry Cavill) and Bronco (Jake Gyllenhaal) to work with her to get the money back, and they bring in their own specialists who plan to the detail how they'll get Rachel in, get the money, and get out with no casualties - along with contingency plans in case something goes wrong. 

Even when Guy Ritchie goes into AI mode - not really, but here it seems he just dreamed up a script, wrote it in a few minutes, and directed it just as fast - he still delivers everything he's known for as long as he's not tied down by the Mouse House. "In the Grey" falls in the grey of his other films, a middle-of-the-road action filled with his hallmarks done to perfection, which essentially is what makes it sorta boring.

The fact that there's no real tension throughout the movie does it a disservice. Sid and Bronco are so prepared for what's to come that they have a plan B when their plan B fails, and executes each variable with numerous practice runs that makes them seem like they're the Olympic Dream Team going up against toddlers. Even when plans fall apart they already have a backup, so there's no need for tension or suspense, which leaves ample room for fighting, quick quips, and steadfast determination.

To that end, it doesn't leave much to the imagination, as Rachel announces her plan from the start with views of Sid and Bronco bringing it to fruition in such a calculated way it leaves no room for error, and therefore no unexpected excitement. Even when something does go wrong, they have plans to fix it like they're carrying an emergency "plot armor" kit they just open and use. It's way too polished.

Ritchie has worked with Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal and Eiza Gonzalez on numerous occasions, so even their rapport with each other and the director is above reproach. You can tell they just breezed through the film almost in a trance, spitting out their lines like they were never given a script. It adds to their unity and how well they work together, but, again, there's no conflict or hiccups even in their relationship. 

All in all, while delivering exciting action set pieces and enjoyable dialogue, "In the Grey" ends up being in the grey when it comes to remembering exactly what happened only an hour later.

The Score: B-