Movies Like The Gray Man Are the Reason Why People Are Leaving Netflix

If you’re wondering why Netflix’s prices keep going higher and higher then look no further than at The Gray Man, a $200 million movie with some huge stars as leads. This is reported to be the highest budget for any Netflix movie ever. The directing front is handled by the Russo Brothers who directed some of the best-received Marvel entries. With cast names like Ryan Gosling, Ana De Armas, and Chris Evans, and a budget beyond comprehension, what could go wrong?

A Muddled Story 

The Gray Man follows a mercenary who is simply known as Six, played by Ryan Gosling. After he learns something new on a routine mission, he takes a detour from his superior’s orders and tries to survive against some high-ranked CIA officials that want him dead. Firstly, it’s worth noting that the story is written in such a way that it’s clearly trying to set up sequels. That’s however just one of the many issues with The Gray Man. 

The movie jumps from city to city constantly and it’s very difficult to keep up. The dialogue is only bearable because some of Hollywood’s best actors are delivering it. Gosling’s impeccable comedic timing covers a lot of the movie’s flaws too. What’s worse though is the editing. Some very strange choices are made on the editing front that’ll leave you questioning the competence of these filmmakers. Anthony and Joe Russo are no strangers to quick cuts, especially in fight sequences, but boy does it get troublesome when those editing choices go wrong. It’s flat-out laughable that a movie of this budget would be this badly edited. The action ranges from good to unwatchable, meaning you literally can’t see anything of what’s going on on the screen. Chris Evans is charming as the main villain/threat but even he can’t hide the bad writing behind his character.

The movie moves at such a pace that you’re either not allowed to take a moment to breathe or it draws to a halt. Basically, every scene is either an action sequence of insane proportions or a boring and failed attempt at character development. The runtime of 129 minutes also doesn’t help at all. By the end you’ll feel like the movie should have been over half an hour ago. One thing you will surely feel all throughout the runtime though are the subscription prices going up as you sit down to watch yet another mediocre film that Netflix has to offer. This persistent habit of Netflix canceling every show with huge potential after its first season to favor these high-budget dull movies is getting old real fast. The latest numbers show that people are unsubscribing on mass, for obvious reasons. 

General Reception 

Critics have also seen past the veil of the great stars and the reviews have been mixed, to say the least. Rotten Tomatoes currently reports that only 49 percent of reviews have been positive. Ultimately, it’s good to remember that if this is the quality Netflix is offering for $20 per month, then there are plenty of other streaming services that require less and offer much more. 

The Gray Man isn’t terrible by any means, it’s just very bland, and that’s somehow worse. The Russo brothers have failed continuously to show that they can make a good movie outside the MCU. There’s nothing to hold on to here. Everyone will forget this movie came out at all a few months from now. Chalk this up as one more failure from a company that has no idea how to run its business as the subscription numbers keep sinking. 

But hey, don’t worry too much because for the next few months Netflix has many other high-budget films ready to disappoint again, just in case you need more reminders as to where those 20 dollars are going every month. 

Photo courtesy of Netflix

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