In The Grey (2026) is written & directed by Guy Ritchie. It stars Eiza Gonzalez, Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill, Carlos Bardem, Michael Vu, Rosamund Pike, Fisher Stevens, Kojo Attah, Mohammed Al Turki, Jason Wong, Emmett J. Scanlan, Christian Ochoa Lavernia, Karlos Klaumannsmoller, Kristofer Hivju, Gonzalo Bouza, and Darrell D’Silva. The film follows a high-level mercenary covert ops team who are hired to retrieve a billion-dollar fortune stolen by a violent dictator (Bardem). To complete the mission, the team’s leader, Rachel (Gonzalez), sends her two most trusted yet unruly operatives, Sid (Cavill) and Bronco (Gyllenhaal). As the mission becomes more complicated, the two bickering partners are forced to improvise and adapt, or face deadly consequences. 

Gyllenhaal’s calm yet cocky attitude fits well with the tone we’ve come to expect from a Guy Ritchie action film. He’s not really testing his skills/exploring uncharted waters, but you can tell he’s personally having fun with the director’s trademark snappy, sarcastic dialogue. Despite the material feeling somewhat disposable, it’s elevated by Gyllenhaal as one of its leads. On top of this, his odd-couple-like dynamic with Henry Cavill is ultimately a winner, despite one glaring flaw. 

Henry Cavill and Guy Ritchie are a great match, so it’s nice to see them reteam. I just wish that they had delivered something that felt distinct. Despite some surface-level differences, this mostly just feels like a modern-day take on Ritchie’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015). It almost feels as if Ritchie desperately wanted to make a sequel but was forced to get creative due to the original’s box-office failure and/or Armie Hammer’s real-life controversies. Maybe I just can’t get over Cavill co-starring in another quippy action-comedy from Guy Ritchie, but I think it goes beyond that. The emotions it evokes and the tone it achieves, all the way down to the story’s scale, feel familiar/unoriginal. Cavill’s casting just pushes it over the edge into being derivative, but it doesn’t feel right to blame him. I also can’t really fault Ritchie too much for choosing to do so; I’d rather this film exist than not. Their chemistry is somewhat irresistible.  

Eiza Gonzalez gets to do a lot of “aura farming” here, which makes her character surprisingly entertaining, given that the archetype is usually generic. I actually think that she, more than anyone here, benefits from Ritchie’s brand of ‘thinks it’s cooler than it is’ dialogue.’ It’s a strong showcase of what makes her unique among her peers, and I confidently predict that she and Ritchie will work together again. 

Other feeling somewhat generic, the movie’s largest issue (which isn’t an uncommon one with Guy Richie films) is that its focus on style and fun completely undermines its attempts to generate drama and stakes. Certain supporting characters are basically invisible until the script randomly decides they’re important, essentially gaslighting the viewer by implying we should have known who they were the entire time. I’m not exaggerating when I say there’s a third-act beat where a character sacrifices himself to save the squad, but the only thing you’re thinking is: “Who’s that guy?” It’s one thing not to care about a character, but it’s wild not even to know who they are. And yes, I was paying attention the entire time. In combination with the villain not feeling even remotely like an actual threat, the experience fails to affect you emotionally.

Overall, this is yet another sleek, entertaining, but disposable experience that’s far too reminiscent of the far superior Ritchie film, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Gyllenhaal and Cavill are fun, but don’t deliver anything particularly special. Eiza Gonzalez is the standout, but unfortunately, everything else is forgettable. To clarify, it’s not horrible. It’s never boring, and Ritchie is always a competent technical filmmaker. The story just needed a lot more work. C