One could criticize even more, for example the hustle and bustle of locations: from Bangkok to Hong Kong to Baku and Vienna, the film takes place all over the world, but makes little effort to disguise the fact that it was shot almost exclusively in Prague. Or one could grumble about the fact that a talented composer like Henry Jackman only delivers a staid musical standard. But instead here’s a constructive tip: If you’re experienced in action cinema, you’ll easily find alternatives to “The Gray Man”! If you are interested in films in which two killers hunt each other down, you should definitely watch the well-directed “The Bourne Conspiracy” (with Matt Damon and Karl Urban as opponents) or the weird cult film “Assassins – The Killers”, in which the two fighting killers (played by Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas) are a thousand times more entertaining than any character from The Gray Man.
The question remains: Does Netflix really care what lousy but ridiculously expensive films they unleash on the world? Do the lousy reviews and disappointed public reactions pass you by? Is it really just about baiting with sensational news (“Most expensive streaming film of all time”) and a few popular stars (“Bridgerton” discovery Regé-Jean Page has a superfluous guest appearance, which the trailers of course exploited)? The main thing is that customers become curious, click, stay tuned for a few minutes and feed the algorithm so that the next sensational report can be announced soon (“Most streamed Netflix film”). If you don’t like it, you can simply switch to the next program – but please don’t cancel your subscription. Maybe the next movie will be better.
“The Gray Man” seems made with this lazy attitude. Everything is missing: lifeblood, love, creativity, reasonable craftsmanship, excitement, fun, sophistication, entertainment value … What you could have done better with the money, it’s better not to get involved in the bill at all.