Lisa Johnson Mandell’s The Gray Man review says that with a perfect cast and some of today’s best directors, this riveting action  film can’t help get your motor running.

You take Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas and Regé-Jean Page, team them up with the writing/directing/producing Russo Brothers, and how can you possibly go wrong?

You can’t. You simply can’t.

I like my action movies like I like my champagne; dry, crisp, with a whole lot of sparkle. The cork pops on this one the second the opening credits roll, and it pours out good from there.

The Gray Man Review: Plot (no spoilers)

Gosling is Six, a CIA asset so deep undercover nobody knows his name. Except perhaps for his handler, played by Thornton, who recruited him out of prison. Six is quipy and quirky as the day is long. No one does quip and quirk better than Gosling.

When Six gets ahold of some info that will threaten the CIA and the deep state behind it, as well as his own life, he goes on the run, trying to settle a score he never intended to wrack up, and protect those he never intended to love.

Enter Evans as you’ve never seen him, as rogue agent Lloyd Hansen, wearing what Six calls white pants and a trash stash. It’s quite the diversion for Evans, whom we’re more accustomed to seeing as the pure-hearted and pristine Captain America. He is clearly reveling in his role, and so are we.

And if the actors and characters aren’t enough for you, there are some of the most remarkable action scenes, shot in exotic locals all over the world. No expense was spare on this one. The Gray Man had an estimated budget of $200 million.

Yet for all this, you may ask, why isn’t Netflix giving it a giant theatrical release, with all the bells and whistles that go along with it? Surely these super stars and directors could pack the theaters, right?

Well, yes. I believe it would have had excellent summer box office numbers. But my theory is that Netflix now needs subscribers more than it needs box-office returns. Their subscriber numbers have dropped precipitously, and they’re using a blockbuster like The Gray Man to bring them back into the fold.

And the strategy just might work. The Gray Man can stand up to any action spy franchise, despite what some of my esteemed colleagues may write. It’s a must see movie, that, surprisingly enough, you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home. Hoping it’s the birth of a franchise.

Rated PG-13

2 Hours 9 minutes

If you believe this The Gray Man review is true, go ahead, take the plunge, sign up again for Netflix (your borrowed password is going to expire pretty soon anyway)

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s The Gray Man review says that with a perfect cast and some of today’s best directors, this riveting action spy film can’t help get your motor running.