PLOT: A covert team of elite operatives are living in the shadows. When a ruthless despot steals a billion-dollar fortune, they’re sent to take it back-an impossible heist that erupts into a deadly game of strategy, deception and survival.
REVIEW: I’ve always found Guy Ritchie to be a rather hit-or-miss filmmaker. Sometimes his stylish ways don’t exactly make for an intriguing movie. But at least they always look nice. And I certainly appreciate how he goes the more practical route with his action. His latest, In The Grey, has less action than you would probably expect, but when it hits, it’s very satisfying. But is that enough to result in an entertaining film?
In The Grey follows a covert group as they’re sent to steal back a billion-dollar fortune from a rich dude who killed the last group that tried to take back the money. It’s a pretty basic setup with a clear goal, and that’s where the best of action movies excel. If anything, I was surprised at how much the film looks at more of the legal side of getting the money back. Now, that doesn’t mean this is a courtroom drama or anything, and the legal language is all Hollywood-ized, but it’s cool to see this story told with more brain than brawn. Everyone is using tactics to accomplish their goals versus just going in guns blazing.
Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Eiza González make up our leads, and they all have a fun dynamic. It’s clear that Bronco and Sid will do anything for Rachel, but they avoid going the romantic route, which was a nice change of pace. Though there is a funny homoeroticism at play, which I’m sure fandoms will be frothing at the mouth for. I really got a kick out of Cavill and Gyllenhaal’s interactions, as they can bounce off of each other in a fun way. If anything, I was surprised with how little of it we got. I suppose that’s because the movie is always moving forward, and we don’t get many moments to just sit with the characters. It would have been nice if anyone outside of those three characters were given a bit more dimension, but that’s to be expected. It just takes a bit away from some of the deaths, which just kind of happen, and it’s hard to care about.
The biggest problem that I had with the film is that the main bad guy, Salazar (played by Carlos Bardem) feels very under developed. It could have worked with a bigger actor, but Bardem doesn’t ever stand out. He’s not even intimidating at any point, which can take away from some of the stakes. He, nor his henchmen, ever seem to pose a serious threat to our main cast. Even when he’s able to pull one over on them, it’s easily rectified and our heroes never feel out of their depth. It doesn’t help that his second in command (played by Game of Throne‘s Kristopher Hivju) gets an intriguing introduction, but then is just standing around for most of the runtime. With how competent Bronco and Sid prove to be, it would have been nice to have some villains that actually felt formidable.
Written and Directed by Guy Ritchie, I was happy to see In The Grey at a tight 98 minutes, as I’ve always felt he has a pacing problem. Thankfully this moves along fairly quickly, though there is a lot of talking about plans going on. Thankfully, that dialogue is mostly interesting, and delivered in an energetic way. There are times that it felt like an Ocean’s movie with how the information was conveyed. It can be a bit hokey with how much the courts are used to stop this billionaire, especially in the current political climate, but I get what Ritchie was going for.
I’m sure some will be annoyed at the lack of action, but this is really more of a heist movie, only instead of stealing the money, they’re making a deal and then having to deal with the extraction. As such, we get plenty of montages of the planning, which are all intriguing. I quite enjoyed how much we got to see these guys looking at the problems from all angles. And they end up executing their plan in a way that I wasn’t quite expecting. But again, if you’re expecting an action bonanza, then you’re sure to be disappointed. Thankfully, when the action does happen, it’s grounded, with all of it being very practical and precise. It can just feel a bit video gamey with how easily dispatched all the goons are.
I enjoyed my time with In The Grey but it’s not going to be for everybody. It’s still got that trademark Guy Ritchie pacing issue and, despite being marketed as an action movie, really doesn’t get into that until the final act. It’s still a satisfying watch, as all the pieces come together in a fun way, it can just feel a little surface level. The lack of stakes take away from what would have otherwise been one of Ritchie’s best. Thankfully, Gyllenhaal and Cavill are having a blast, which comes across on screen.
In The Grey is playing exclusively in theaters on May 15th, 2026.