In the Grey (2026) * * *

 

Directed by:  Guy Ritchie

Starring:  Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza Gonzalez, Rosamund Pike, Carlos Bardem

Guy Ritchie's In the Grey may seem like a slick typical action movie on its surface, but we also take a look into the minds of its protagonists.  They are Sid (Cavill) and Bronco (Gyllenhaal), two exfiltration experts hired by a trillion-dollar New York bank that loans money to dictators like Manny Salazar (Bardem) and doesn't care that he's a dictator.  They want their money back, plus interest, and dispatch executives like Rachel (Gonzalez) to meet with Salazar and force him to pay up.  If he resists or reneges on the deal, which he does to a previous poor soul, then Sid and Bronco are brought in to assist.  

And by assist, we mean plan an elaborate plot which covers every angle and escape route you can think of (with help of their small, but skilled staff of mercenaries.  They protect Rachel with all of their resourcefulness and skill, and it is fun to watch them map out their strategy.  Sid and Bronco are experts and a joy to watch. 

Rachel has a sit-down with Salazar after Sid and Bronco sabotage his businesses and force him to the table.  Salazar, though, is hardly submissive and lowballs Rachel, leading to attempts by his goons on her life.  No worries, Sid and Bronco have that covered too and dispatch the villains with ruthless efficiency.  But there is more at the plot twists and turns, forcing Sid and Bronco to rescue Rachel using one of the aforementioned escape routes off of Salazar's island.  This was all set up in the first act, and since we paid attention, we see how Sid and Bronco cover the what-ifs and the angles.  

Ritchie is an adept action director, and while some of In the Grey devolves into chases and shootouts, we see the human side of the heroes.  They and the team actually take a moment of pause and reflection when they learn one of their own has fallen.  How often do you see that in an action movie?