On Apple TV on September 4th is ‘Mayday,’ which finds Ryan Reynolds as an American pilot trapped behind enemy lines in 1980s Russia, who gets help from an unexpected ally in Kenneth Branagh’s USA-loving Soviet.
The cast for the movie includes Maria Bakalova (‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’), David Morse (‘The Green Mile’) and Clark Johnson (‘The Sentinel’).
Related Article: Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh Starring in ‘Mayday’
Initial Thoughts
The mismatched buddy comedy can be a source of great entertainment, but also a tricky path to tread. In the new Apple TV movie ‘Mayday,’ which channels both 1980s nostalgia and the easy comic chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and, in much more unlikely fashion, Kenneth Branagh, the combination mostly works successfully, even if the actual movie itself is basic at times.
Script and Direction
A rare writing and directing effort by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (who co-directed the excellent, underseen ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,’ this new outing is full of what they do well bringing to screens: a solid blend of laughs and action, heart and heroism and moves at a good clip.
It might not be the most stylish film on screens, but it’s well made enough that you do wish Apple had given it a chance in theaters, since it would surely play well with a crowd.
Cast and Performances
Reynolds can do this sort of role in his sleep, but fortunately he’s fully awake and usefully tamps down on the endless laugh-grabbing. Don’t get us wrong; his Troy Kelly is funny, but he’s also a little more layered than the standard Reynolds sarcasm machine.
It’s Branagh who is the surprise though, at least to anyone who hasn’t seen his early work in comedies. While he’s become known as a serious Shakespearian (and superheroic) director, don’t forget he’s a truly talented actor able to inhabit roles spanning the distance between Hamlet and Gilderoy Lockhart. Here, he fully commits to Nikolai, who is by turns funny and very violent.
Final Thoughts
It might not reach the stratosphere of, say, ‘Midnight Run,’ but ‘Mayday’ certainly keeps the jokes flying, grounds the characters and plays with nostalgia in a fun way.
‘Mayday’ receives 75 out of 100.
What is the plot of ‘Mayday’?
When hotshot U.S. Navy pilot Lieutenant Troy “Assassin” Kelly (Ryan Reynolds) is sent on a top-secret mission into Russian territory at the height of the Cold War, the operation implodes, leaving him stranded behind enemy lines. Discovered by Nikolai Ustinov (Kenneth Branagh), a gruff ex-KGB agent with a penchant for American culture, Troy thinks he’s toast — but could an unlikely alliance between the two lead to Troy’s rescue and a bond neither saw coming?
Who is in the cast of ‘Mayday’?
- Ryan Reynolds as Troy “Assassin” Kelly
- Kenneth Branagh as Nikolai Ustinov
- Maria Bakalova as Anna Ustinov
- Marcin Dorociński as Alexander Volkov
- David Morse as Harold Kelly
List of Movies Starring Ryan Reynolds or Kenneth Branagh:
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Buy Kenneth Branagh Movies On Amazon
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