If there wasn’t enough evidence in support already, “In the Grey” is conclusive proof that Guy Ritchie needs to slow down. The distinguished writer/director of British crime films has already gone through two unusual pivots. He began a go-to director-for-hire for Hollywood blockbusters until 2020’s “The Gentlemen” brought him back to his roots, making grounded, pulpy thrillers and black comedies. “In the Grey” is the seventh film Ritchie has made since 2020, and he already has two other films near completion. There are some fun moments where “In the Grey” shows clarity in Ritchie’s unique worldview, but they aren’t enough to justify a shaggy thriller that is rather light on suspense.
Describing the plot of “In the Grey” is no easy feat, considering that it consists of nearly non-stop exposition, and its narrative is at times almost intentionally confusing. Ritchie has often enjoyed using convoluted plots to create a combustible sense of chaos, but “In the Grey” lacks the satirical edge of “Snatch” or “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”
The film is ostensibly told from the perspective of Rachel Wild (Eiza Gonzalez), a clever negotiator whose employer, Bobby (Rosamund Pike), has assigned her team to steal a fortune from the corrupt Saudi billionaire Manny Salazar (Carlos Bardem). While the plan to corrupt Salzar’s wealth involves all manner of infiltration and disruptions, Rachel requires the help of her two most powerful assets- Sid (Henry Cavill) and Bronco (Jake Gyllenhaal). What begins as a straightforward pincer movement becomes a dangerous operation when Salazar utilizes the force of his private militia, which has been used to make sure that his enemies “disappear.”
Ritchie seems interested in the shady world of international funding, in which money trades hands through private meetings with no evidence left behind. Salazar is modeled after a very real sort of megalomaniacal billionaire who has essentially become untouchable by the law, but there’s such vagueness within Ritchie’s depiction of the world that it’s hard to feel righteously angry. Salazar’s organization feels like another generic foreign crime coalition, the likes of which Hollywood has used as its stereotypical villains for decades.
At the same time, Rachel’s employers have equally unclear intentions, and the only details that emerge about their infrastructural makeup are a few scant meetings in which characters talk to each other over the phone. It’s an obvious case of patchwork, which makes it not at all surprising that “In the Grey” has sat on a shelf for over two-and-a-half years. There’s obviously footage that is needed for the film to be more comprehensible, and its absence makes the already demanding plot feel more confusing.
The scattershot approach Ritchie usually takes can be forgivable when his characters are solid, but there’s not a concrete personality that is mapped onto any of the protagonists of “In the Grey.” Gonzalez arguably has the most to do because she is the face of the team and the character who handles most of the confrontations with the villains, but she is so frequently putting on a facade of steely confidence that there’s little time to figure out what she actually cares about.
Bardem’s performance is even more one-note, and rarely feels legitimately intimidating because of how much of the dirty work is handed off to his underlings. Kristofer Hivju is seemingly the perfect choice to play Salazar’s lead hitman, nicknamed “Red Beard,” but his only personality trait seems to be his ability to carry out quick and ruthless assassinations.
The material given to both Cavill and Gyllenhaal is disappointing, given that the pair seems to have strong chemistry with one another, and are occasionally successful in inspiring laughs when they’re matched in a game of outdoing each other’s charm. Gyllenhaal was once at a point where he could have been one of the best actors of his generation, but he has shifted into pulpy genre fare within the last few years of his career. He has some notable quirks in “In the Grey,” but Bronco’s consistently unfazed nature gives Gyllenhaal little depth to add beyond his inherent charisma.
Cavill is an actor who had been vastly underutilized until Ritchie seemed to unlock his abilities with “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” and “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” but he’s mannered in a way that is too similar to his co-star. Although both Cavill and Gyllenhaal have individual scenes in which their interactions with Gonzalez are compelling, there’s not much to be said about what they represent as a trio.
“In the Grey” does show more ambition in scale when compared to last year’s Ritchie film, “Fountain of Youth,” as it does take advantage of its international locations and add some of the filmmaker’s trademark visual styles. While his brand of using voiceover to narrate complex heist scenes has become a bit cliché, there are some propulsive motorcycle chases and humorous instances of text onscreen that make “In the Grey” slightly more edgy.
There’s surprisingly little action until the last third, and most of the gunfights lack gore, as they aren’t darkly funny or legitimately shocking. Ritchie does set up some appropriately over-the-top set pieces that pay off well when the film finds its energy in the final segment, but for the most part, “In the Grey” is rather weightless.
Ritchie is notably the sole credited writer on “In the Grey,” and the bizarre line readings, unusual popular culture references, and comedy of manners can only be attributed to him. However, “In the Grey” does suggest that a co-writer may have been able to refine a story that seems to only exist in the abstract, or add actual jokes; there are a lot of snippy lines, but surprisingly few punchlines.
Granted, a film as weird and unhurried as “In the Grey” is preferable to the type of anonymous projects Ritchie made when he was tied to corporate IP, but it does feel like he’s simply deviating on topics that he’s touched on before. “In the Grey” is frustrating, if not unwatchable, but it begs the question of whether Ritchie could stand to take the time to follow through with his work.
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