The gray man
Imagine the Russo Brothers, Captain America, and (maybe?) Nova working on a Netflix movie together, making them a perfect pair for something in the MCU. By the title of the article, you have probably already guessed where I am going with this. With the news that The Russo Bros. doesn’t direct the upcoming Avenger movies, the dubious return of Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling as Nova, fans may already have a glimpse of their chemistry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Just a money-making vehicle?
You don’t have to watch Netflix’s The Gray Man to imagine their on-screen chemistry. To give you a brief overview of the film, The Gray Man was inspired by the book of the same name by Mark Greaney. The story’s protagonist is Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling), a former CIA officer turned freelance assassin who goes by the nickname The Gray Man. Chris Evans plays the film’s antagonist, a role the Russo Brothers say has been in the works since they made Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014.
After its release, many praised the film’s action scenes and the chemistry between Gosling and Evans as adversaries. For those who love “runaway agent” action movies like the hugely popular Mission: Impossible, some reviewers have pointed to this film’s predictability and lack of reward.
Some people said The Gray Man’s plot was too simplistic, while others said it was simply a way to make money for the film’s A-list distribution. Meanwhile, the action sequences were attacked and called bland, while others enjoyed it as an artificial intelligence simulation.
Chemistry says it all
Speaking of chemistry between the two actors, I’m going to be straight as hell. At first, it was hard for me to imagine the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s glorious Captain America as a nasty. As the film progressed, I could see why Chris Evans was offered this role.
I mean, that mustache made him even more appealing as an antagonist. Second, Ryan Gosling has always been known for his on-screen romantic charms and seeing him in such a serious role was an eye opener for me. It’s no surprise that Ryan Gosling was paid $20 million for the role. The creators knew it would be worth every penny!
The film’s leads and Ana de Armas are a perfect match, but I’d say the two leads have a lot more chemistry with each other than they do with the “Blonde” actress. As seen in a brief moment in the film’s trailer, when the two actors’ characters meet, Evans pins Gosling against the wall as the two engage in clever banter about Evans’ terrible mustache. No one can claim that there is an undeniable chemistry between them. Watching a definitive bromance develop on TV (for later perspectives) between a good person and a bad guy is so satisfying.
Again, all I could think of was all the other times Chris Evans had bromances with his former Avengers clan. Let’s move on to the final fight scene. Of course, a few punches here and there didn’t look much different from the cliched action movie sequence. What the duo displays in the film may make you imagine a scene in the MCU. But imagine it like Gosling and Evans versus an MCU villain.
Is gray unavoidable?
If you haven’t watched The Gray Man yet, I strongly advise you to do so. Don’t do it for the simplicity of the scenario, but rather to imagine precisely what the intention of this article is. It’s been about a month since its release, and since then there have been multiple reviews, reviews, comments, reviews and so on.
Indeed, the notes on IMDb gives the Russo Brothers film a poor 6.5/10. Meanwhile, Rotten Tomatoes gave the action/mystery/thriller 45% on its tomatometer. Considering the sibling duo won’t be directing any upcoming Avengers movies, it also makes me wonder if the average is due to “lazy” direction. Who can say who is to blame?
Nonetheless, The Gray Man is all we have to visualize Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans together in the MCU. Hopefully their chemistry was strong enough for Marvel boss Kevin Feige to get them on board somehow. We all know bringing Chris Evans back to the MCU could be tricky, but fans are aware that the Fantastic Four aren’t far off making their MCU debut. All we can do is wait.
