FILM DETAILS
Running time: 97 minutes
Shots ring intense from the thunderous surround system of the cinema. There’s blood, and a menacing low‑angle shot of a perp moves across the screen. The moment has Guy Ritchie written all over it.
Moments later, the opening of In The Grey feels as if it exists just to test the speakers, as Sofia (Eiza Gonzalez), the boss lady and narrator, lays out the details in Richie‑flavored, sharp‑tongued dialogue, but the story surprisingly unfolds ma non troppo. Slowly, but not too slowly.
“We move from the tail to the dog.”
As Bronco (Jake Gyllenhaal (‘Ambulance,’ ‘Donnie Darko’)) and Sid (Henri Cavill (‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,’ ‘Man of Steel’)) trade expressionless glances and a few dry words—with the funniest part so far being a dick pic in the sand—you begin to feel like you’re watching very expensive Finnish filmmaking instead of a film by the British director who made ball-of-fire action thrillers such as Snatch (2000) and one of my favorites, the sleek, stylish, 1960s Cold War spy banter action-comedy: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015).
U.N.C.L.E. proved that Ritchie, 57, is committed to kaizen. He is in pursuit of ongoing improvement and rediscovery. With this in mind, I settle into the cozy darkness of the cinema seat, a gentle rhythm in my chest signaling that the true motion is about to begin.
Slowly, the armpits warm and the hand reaching for popcorn slows as the story advances poco a poco accelerando … little by little, faster and faster.
The high‑stakes mission to recover a billion‑dollar fortune begins to take hold. It starts to make sense. Gunshots intensify, action kicks in, Christopher Benstead’s beats make the head nod, cuts get to Ritchie-speed. …
U.N.C.L.E. proved that Ritchie, 57, is committed to kaizen.
Creative devices and the cast’s subtle chemistry grow into real camaraderie.
“We move from the tail to the dog,” Sofia tells villain Manny Salazar, played by Carlos Bardem (Assasin’s Creed, Cell 211) who doesn’t look too pleased with his cigar, big belly and big watch.
The parts have come together now: Guy Ritchie’s In the Grey rises with the slow build and bold power of a great symphony.
‘In the Grey’ hits the cinemas in Finland on May 13.