The Russo brothers are among the highest-earning film directors of all time, with the surname alone capable of drawing a fairly impressive crowd. Indeed, with films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame to their credit, it’s rare that Russo films get passed up.
The duo’s latest venture is coming up shortly in the form of The Gray Man, an action thriller starring the likes of Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, and frequent Russo collaborator Chris Evans. The film depicts mercenary Court Gentry (Gosling) on the run from his former coworker, psychopathic assassin Lloyd Hansen (Evans), after Court discovers some CIA secrets that weren’t meant to be discovered.
With a Netflix-record $200+ million budget, a filmography with no shortage of action, and aspirations to kick off a franchise with this film, the Russo brothers have high hopes for The Gray Man, and apparently the film’s creative roots start at home.
In the official press notes for the movie, Joe Russo remarked how the brothers’ childhood was packed with action films by way of their father, resulting in the duo being surrounded by all the inspiration they needed.
“We love the ‘70s thrillers that we grew up on. Our father was a big fan of those so we had a steady diet of them and an emotional connection to them. We’re always chasing the sort of relentless excitement that we got from the first time we watched The French Connection — that energy, that compulsion, and the compressed time frame that makes you sit on the edge of your seat while you’re watching the story unfold.”
He went on to note how The Gray Man will challenge the audience to keep up with its pace, suggesting that it won’t be for the faint of heart.
“The Gray Man has a lot of these qualities. It’s going to push the audience to keep up. The film moves at an incredible pace and there’s a density to it, a layering. A lot happens in it very quickly.”
The Gray Man releases to Netflix on July 22.
