In the Grey marks Guy Ritchie and Henry Cavill‘s third collaboration after The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. And yet, despite boasting two of the most recognizable, if not bankable Hollywood stars in Cavill and Jake Gyllenhaal, and a prime summer movie date, the buzz surrounding In the Grey is nearly non-existent, making me wonder if this is yet one of the many creative duds from the hit-and-miss Ritchie. The good news is that his latest one ranks among the most consistently thrilling movies in recent years since The Covenant.
Interestingly, the story is mostly told from the point of view of lawyer Rachel Wild (Eiza González), complete with her recurring voiceover narration that elaborates how she uses her legal expertise to work out a complicated deal. A deal that revolves around retrieving a billion-dollar fortune stolen by a ruthless despot, Manny Salazar (Carlos Bardem), to be exact. Power players like Salazar are no pushovers, especially given his criminal influence in owning a private army of mercenaries and even the local police force on his payroll. That’s where Sid (Henry Cavill) and Bronco (Jake Gyllenhaal) come in, two field operatives in charge of protecting their employer, Rachel, at all costs.
Ritchie, who also wrote the screenplay, actually has a straightforward premise: broker a deal, and if it fails to reach a mutual agreement between Rachel and Salazar, it’s up to Sid and Bronco, along with the rest of the team (among them played by Kojo Attah and Jason Wong), to get things done using their extraction strategy to save Rachel. It’s the details that elevate the movie, even if it turns out to be surprisingly talky rather than a traditional action thriller. This may come across as a disappointment for those who are expecting In the Grey to be an action-packed ride.
But somehow, it works in Ritchie’s favor, thanks to his overall assured pacing in navigating the dialogue-heavy story with enough intrigue, and above all, dramatic urgency. I like how he lays out the foundation and expands Rachel’s deal that coordinates with Sid and Bronco’s strategic plan through multiple phases. Ritchie even lets loose by incorporating stylized on-screen texts within the moving frame that makes us feel like we are part of the interactive cinematic experience, which in turn gives his movie a sense of go-for-broke energy.
There’s one particular phase that intrigues me the most: an extended set-piece revolving around Sid and Bronco mapping out their plan with the team, like orchestrating a heist, from making sure every possible exit route to immobilize the enemy, and setting up a booby trap. Backed by Chris Benstead’s riveting score, the music plays a vital part in giving the movie a pulsating, race-against-time rhythm.
It also helps that Cavill and Gyllenhaal, both actors who worked with Ritchie in the past, share an easygoing on-screen dynamic as if their characters have been working together for a long time, even when the movie doesn’t elaborate on that. The magic lies in their chemistry and personalities: Cavill’s Sid is leaning more toward a methodical yet composed type of expert, who contrasts well with Gyllenhaal’s Bronco’s sardonic wit and no-nonsense grit. Given these two characters’ loyalty and affection towards Rachel, I’m surprised that Ritchie doesn’t go into the familiar route of a possible love triangle.
But since the movie clocks in just 98 minutes, it was actually a good move not to take a detour off the main plot in favor of a romance subplot. Instead, Ritchie is more interested in zeroing in on the whole deal and the extraction plan, while the committed cast keeps the movie watchable. And when it finally hits the third act, the payoff is worth the wait as Ritchie’s penchant for practical yet grounded action set pieces is put to good use, highlighting Sid and Bronco’s tactical aspect of their extraction strategy from gunfights to vehicular chases. The action is crisply edited to ensure sufficient visual clarity, with none of the annoyingly shaky-cam aesthetic.
Not everything works in Ritchie’s latest movie; namely, the casting of Carlos Bardem as the main antagonist doesn’t look as intimidating as I would expect from such a character. Eiza González may have the poise of playing an authoritative strategist of a lawyer, who has everything under control, but her rather one-note acting style leaves little room for drawing out emotions, despite the movie showcasing her vulnerability in some scenes.
