Film Review: IN THE GREY (2026): Guy Ritchie’s Latest is Full of Mindless Action and is Relentlessly Entertaining
In the Grey Review
In the Grey (2026) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza González, Rosamund Pike, Fisher Stevens, Carlos Bardem, Michael Vu, Mohammed Al Turki, Kojo Attah, Jason Wong, Emmett J. Scanlan, Christian Ochoa Lavernia, Karlos Klaumannsmoller, Kristofer Hivju, Gonzalo Bouza and Darrell D’Silva.
Guy Ritchie is back with In the Grey, a new action picture that feels more like a video game adaptation than even the new Mortal Kombat movie does. Of course, the latter film is really based on a video game and Ritchie’s film is not. All the characters showcased in In the Grey are barely sketched and feel like they’re simply there as catalysts to tell Ritchie’s action-packed tale. Ritchie does succeed here with some of the best action scenes in a movie this year. However, if you’re looking for character development, look elsewhere because despite big name actors, there’s precious little to be found in this film in terms of deep characterizations.
This film opens with Rosamund Pike’s character, Bobby Sheen, who cuts a deal with a high roller named Rachel (Eiza González) to take care of a very financially dangerous situation. Manny Salazar (Carlos Bardem) is a man who deals with billions of dollars illegally and finds himself in a very complicated situation that concerns Bobby. Sid (Henry Cavill) and Bronco (Jake Gyllenhaal) are Rachel’s go-to guys for all dilemmas that are against the law and they are enlisted to more or less go after Manny and take care of the financial mess that has been created.
Bronco and Rachel go to a central character’s office in order to cut a deal with him and a security guard is called to escort the visitors out. Bronco threatens the security guard’s life if the man in question doesn’t listen to Rachel’s proposal. If this plot all sounds very vague, it is. Ritchie intentionally keeps it that way.
There are many gears shifting and things happening, but it’s hard to know what exactly is going on in the grand scheme of things without a scorecard close by. Fisher Stevens pops up as an advisor to Salazar named William Horowitz and although it’s great to see Stevens on-screen again, he’s barely necessary once the intense action scenes get started.
Once those chase sequences take flight, all bets are off because In the Grey is just concerned with creating bigger and better action scenes from one sequence to the next. Cavill and Gyllenhaal are personable enough, but don’t have much backstory to themselves as characters. There are simple explanations as to what their characters’ histories are, but never mind, this movie just wants to blow things up and that it does in an expert fashion.
Eiza González runs around in a pretty dress and nice shoes even though her life is in grave danger. Her hair doesn’t look out of place even for a second as she ends up captured by the baddies at one point. One guess as to whether she’ll be set free and re-join our heroes on their quest to bring down Salazar. For all In the Grey‘s lack of attention to character details, there are plenty of in-depth details as to the way things happen in the plot to keep the adrenaline pumping.
This film explains where it is set and how the characters get to safety from volatile situations, but without really likable characters, the movie plays like a video game more than anything else. González is more interesting on-screen than the men although she can be deemed way too glamorous for the part. If they played down her looks when her life is in danger, there may have been more believable suspense to the proceedings.
There is plenty of edge of your seat action here nevertheless. Just watching the cars driving around scenic locations while chasing each other as countess goons try to kill Bronco and Sid can be rather exhausting. Nevertheless, the film is rarely not entertaining. Ritchie is a good director that way. He knows how to maintain an audience’s interest even if he also knows how to create better characterizations than the ones he has at his helm here, judging from his better previous films.
In the end, In the Grey is serviceable entertainment and accessible to mainstream viewers as an enjoyable action picture. There’s nothing more brilliant in the movie than the very ending where Pike’s character is deemed safe as long as the phone doesn’t ring. Ritchie’s last shot and the suggestions it implies are perfect and the picture could hold the viewer captive just to see all the things around our stars blow up. If you want to know more about Bronco and Sid, wait for the sequel. There won’t be one, though, so just accept this film as it is for its expertly staged action sequences.
Rating: 7/10
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