Old-fashioned offerings of nostalgia and action
The Railway Children Return
★★★★✩
JENNY AGUTTER (An American Werewolf in London, Logan’s Run) reprises her iconic 1970 role in the follow up to one of the most loved British family films of all time. Directed by acclaimed documentary Morgan Matthews— making his feature debut here — the sequel also stars West End darling Sheridan Smith, Tom Courtenay (45 Years) and a brilliantly versatile and dynamic young cast lead by Beau Gadsdon ( who plays the young Princess Margaret in The Crown).
Set in 1944, as the war in Europe intensifies, more and more families have chosen to send their children to the safety of the countryside. Sent by their mother to a small village in the Yorkshire Dales, three young evacuees are taken in by Annie (Smith) and her mother Bobby (Agutter), herself an evacuee from London some decades earlier.
As they settle into their lives in the village, Lily (Gadson), Pattie (Eden Hamilton) and Ted (Zac Cudby) form a lasting friendship with Annie’s son Thomas. The four find themselves in a tight-spot when they encounter Abe (Kenneth Aikens), an injured, young, black American soldier who begs for their help.
Meanwhile, John Bradley (Sam in Game of Thrones) is the amiable rail guard who reluctantly agrees to help the foursome out of their predicament.
Matthews and screenwriters
★★★✩✩
RAYAN GOSLING (La La Land, Blade Runner 2049), Chris Evans (Captain America ) and Ana de Armas (Knives Out, No Time To Die) star in this action-packed thriller comedy from Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame). Based on the series of novels of the same name by Mark Greaney, The Gray Man is set to be released in the UK by Netflix both in cinemas and on their streaming service a week later.
Recruited by the CIA from his prison cell where he is serving a life sentence, steely-eyed inmate Court Gentry (Gosling) is given the code name Sierra Six and quickly becomes one of most feared hired killers in the business. Jemma Rodgers and Daniel Brocklehurst After accidentally uncovering deliver an unapologetically dark agency secrets involving earnest, saccharine narrative in a one his superiors (Regé-Jean film which often relies on nostalgia Page), Sierra Six finds himself to appeal. With obvious nods in the firing line and to the first film throughout and a chased across the globe commendable socially aware plot by psychopathic former line which seeks to update the story colleague Lloyd to modern audiences, The Railway Hansen (a hilariously Children Return does exactly mustachioed Evans). what is expected from it. With only fellow CIA
Granted, this has more than operative Dani Miranda just a whiff of Sunday night BBC (De Armas) on his side drama a la Call The Midwife about and the life of his former it, but one has to marvel at the simplicity mentor (Billy and innocence of such an Bob Thornton) endeavour in a world of franchise hanging in the superhero films and big summer balance, Gentry blockbusters. must find a way
And while there’s no denying to defeat his that the whole thing could have duplicitous benefited from a tighter and more boss and the adventurous script, there is still a man he has lot to love here. sent after him. Meanwhile, things are further complicated when a young girl is kidnapped and held captive, leading Gentry to take extraordinary measures to come to her rescue.
It’s fair to say that a decade ago, a film such as The Gray Man would have been marketed as a contender for the biggest blockbuster of the summer.
With high production values, and an equally impressive cast list, on paper the film checks all the box, but this being Netflix, it is hard to gauge what audiences will make of it at home, or how the film will perform at the box office.
There is a lot about the film that feels both old fashioned, but it is definitely entertaining. Gosling and Evans put in two brilliantly yin/yang performances, with Evan in scenerychewing mode and Gosling delivering yet another quietly understated performance. The result is a funny and genuinely enjoyable romp that is only slightly let down by its overlong and meandering screenplay.
Still, aside from some decidedly misjudged,not to mention superfluous torture scenes and a plot that doesn’t always make a lot of sense, one thing The Gray Man cannot be accused of is being boring.
But I would have liked to have seen more from De Armas, who is clearly capable of much more, as demonstrated in her briefyet-memorable turn as the Cuban CIA agent in No Time