R | 1h 38m | Action, Thriller | 2026
Guy Ritchie has had some big hits in his career, but in recent years has been churning out a collection of mostly forgettable films. However, he’s never made one quite as dull as “In the Grey.” It’s a by-the-numbers and increasingly preposterous crime thriller that’s low on thrills, suspense, and intrigue.
What Goes On
Bronco (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Sid (Henry Cavill) head up an elite team of former spec ops agents. They work for one Rachel Wild (Eiza González), an impossibly beautiful and eternally suave lawyer who explains that she works within legal-illegal and moral-amoral parameters. As in neither in the black nor the white, but in the morally grey areas of high finance and dirty billionaires. Hence the title.
The fierce and shrewd Rachel has the bottomless resources and finances at her disposal to be able to afford such a team to back the illegal areas of her endeavors. We can tell this by her endless silk outfits, and also by the way she adroitly makes for herself exquisite concoctions, like a top Manhattan bartender, to sip while conducting business and taking calls.
Rachel and her boys set up an op to get back $1 billion that was loaned to crime lord Manny Salazar (Carlos Bardem), who has yet to pay it back. Bobby (Rosamund Pike) helps with the operation, and Mr. Horowitz, Manny’s lawyer (Fisher Stevens), attempts to stymie their efforts.
Too Much Talking
The screenplay’s systemic problem is clunky, over-explained exposition that diminishes the film cinematically and disrespects the audience’s intelligence. It’s a classic aspect of heist and espionage movies—the “this is how the plan will unfold” sequence. In it, we hear how everything is laid out for the big operation—often using voiceover in combination with shots of the targeted locations. We get the lay of the land before something goes inevitably awry.
These types of sequences can be extremely fun and are an appreciated part of the genre. Unfortunately, director Ritchie appears to have thought “more is better” and packed the whole movie with such sequences, resulting in “more is too much” monotony.
Also, these types of films usually get mileage out of how such hot-shot teams are able to improvise when things go wrong. This team is so hugely talented and minutely well-prepared that no matter how hectic things get, it’s just another day at the office. Which is to say, boring. They’re always 20 steps ahead, and so the one-dimensional plot devices—the random dispatching and car-chasing of nameless thugs—is ultimately meaningless.
The same goes for the rest of the team. Everyone is stoic and immensely capable, but lacks anything like wit or charm that would serve to make them distinct in personality or skillset.
The performances are mediocre at best, there are few laughs, and plenty of generic dialogue, that, as Ritchie movies tend to do, try too hard to be hip and quotable. “In the Grey,”, due to the fact that Gyllenhaal, Cavill, González, and Pike have undeniable charisma, provides just enough fun in the second half to avoid this review dipping below 3 stars.
‘In the Grey’
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Rosamund Pike
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 38 minutes
Re-release Date: May 15, 2026
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
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