Remember Netflix’s The Gray Man? With the Russo brothers behind the cameras and the magnetic pairing of Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans at the top of the cast list, it seemed to tick every box.
An action thriller from a hugely successful directing duo, a budget that promised quality and serious spectacle, names like Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard, Ana de Armas and Rege Jean Page in supporting roles, international settings …. what was not to like?
Gosling was in the title role, operating under the code name of Sierra Six. An apparently indestructible covert operative whose true identity was a closely guarded secret, he discovers some dark agency secrets and finds there’s a bounty on his head.
Now the main target in a global manhunt, he finds a wary ally in rogue agent Dani (de Armas) and, together, they’re up against cold-eyed sociopath Hansen (Evans). Cue air crashes, explosions a-plenty, and large-scale fights all over the world as they dodge bullets by the score.
Audiences lapped it up, giving it 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, although the majority of critics were less enamoured — it currently has a shockingly low RT critic score of 45%!
But after three years, it’s time for another look, whether it’s to find out if your opinion has changed or simply to enjoy it all over again. One of the streamer’s most popular films, it’s had over 139 million views and currently stands at number eight on Netflix’s global top ten of all time, alongside the likes of Back In Action (2025), Carry-On (2024) and, in pole position, Red Notice (2021).
With the Russo brothers’ track record, including Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Endgame (2019), there was no way The Gray Man would be a quiet, modest little film. And it’s not. It’s big and brash to the point of being almost overwhelming. Aside from all the sound effects that go with the shoot outs, explosions and chases, the score is equally loud and abrasive and visually it’s non-stop action, full of quick-fire editing, blurred images and crazy aerial shots.
But it’s a big-scale action movie dialled up to 11, so anything less would have felt half-hearted. And you can’t accuse the film of being that.
Away from all the action, the shady world of espionage allows the cast to show its class. Page is well suited to the role of the slippery CIA commander, but if there’s a straight-up good guy among them, it’s Fitzroy, played by Billy Bob Thornton, who originally recruited Six to the Sierra programme.
He retains a fatherly interest in his former protégé and it’s a role that’s tailor-made for an actor of Thornton’s range. Aside from being the authority figure in other actioners such as Armageddon (1998), his career encompasses a hilariously profane Bad Santa (2003) and the deliciously understated anti-hero of the Coen brothers’ unconventional noir The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001). His name is synonymous with consistently interesting acting, and he balances The Gray Man’s noise and action with a quiet decency. He makes it a better movie.
Thornton is currently riding high over on Paramount Plus in their record-breaking oil western, Landman. The latest from the ever-fertile mind of Taylor Sheridan, it was inspired by the Texas Monthly podcast, Boomtown, and was seen by 14.9 million households around the world in its first four weeks, making it the streamer’s most-watched original show of all time.
Exploring the contemporary gold rush of oil and the people whose lives are forever changed by its arrival, it places Tommy Norris (Thornton) at the centre of the action as a crisis manager, struggling to balance corporate pressures and personal issues in an hostile environment.
Social themes and Sheridan’s customary mix of western realism and high-stakes narratives struck a chord with those millions of viewers and filming is already underway on a second season. While there’s no confirmed date for its premiere, some time in 2026 is on the cards.
After the cliff-hanging season one finale, fans all over the world are waiting for the answers to some big questions.
How will Norris cope with taking over the company after the demise of his boss? What does the arrival of Galino (Andy Garcia), the head of the cartel, mean for the future? Many of the faces from season one are returning to join Thornton, including Demi Moore and Ali Larter, while Sam Elliott is joining the show as a regular. There are also recurring guest roles for FUBAR’s Guy Burnet and Miriam Silverman from Your Friends And Neighbors.
While the storylines are very much under wraps, Thornton hinted earlier in the year that Norris will be juggling two difficult and dangerous jobs with being a family man. With more than a little understatement, he commented at the time, “It makes for some pretty interesting stuff, I have to say.” We believe him.
The Gray Man is on Netflix in the US and the UK.
All episodes of season one of Landman are on Paramount Plus in the US and the UK.
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