Gunfights, car chases and explosions in the center of Prague. Still, the Netflix hit disappointed
Czech police cars and a Prague tram in an American film action. The action blockbuster The Gray Man ranked first among the most watched titles on Netflix. The attempt at a “Netflix” James Bond relies primarily on a spectacular and flamboyant event dominated by Prague locations. The filmmakers, led by Avengers directors Joe and Anthony Russo, left almost 300 million crowns in Prague during the fortnight of filming, the magazine writes Accelerator. The spy thriller from the environment of the American secret services, starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, had a budget of 200 million dollars and was produced by Stillking Films for the Czech side. Prague portrayed Bangkok, Vienna, Berlin, but also itself. You will see everything here: the monument in Vítkov, the Republic Square or the Trade Fair Palace and the Avenue of the Duke’s Heroes.
“A mysterious CIA agent uncovers secrets that could destroy the agency completely. An ex-colleague, who has probably gone mad, then puts a bounty on his head and chases him around the world,” Netflix is enticing about its new action piece, which is shaking up social networks.
“One of the biggest and most impressive of the nine incredible action sequences takes place in Prague. In the sequence, you have Gosling under fire, lots of cops and private killers trying to catch or kill,” Collider magazine reports an interview with the film’s director, who produced the film under the auspices of his own production company AGBO.
I mean, look at this! Is it really that confusing or am I just getting old? Where is anything related to anything else in this scene? https://t.co/rXIUXW5jLZ
— Wormy (@weaklilgrub)
July 23, 2022
“Filming almost killed Anthony and me. I’m not kidding—we were completely exhausted by the end of the shoot,” director and screenwriter Joe Russo told the magazine. He was aiming for a large number of demanding action scenes, which are full of chases, battles and shooting in the streets of Prague, which were also included in the trailer. In the film, action scenes from Prague last almost 20 minutes and are dominated by domestic police cars.
It’s Uncatchable Ryan Gosling vs. The unstoppable Chris Evans in THE GRAY MAN directed by the Russo Brothers.
Also starring: Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, Regé-Jean Page, Wagner Moura, Julia Butters, Dhanush with Alfre Woodard & Billy Bob Thorton. Now on Netflix 💥 pic.twitter.com/oYETSZs3Yu
— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm)
July 22, 2022
Russo adds that the event takes a lot of thought and care in preparation, even before going on set. “Filming itself is still quite demanding, similar to editing at night,” said the director, detailing the demanding filming. “Other than Chris Evans, we hadn’t met anyone who was so good at stunts and fights until we came across Ryan Gosling,” added the director.
The American crew, in cooperation with Czech filmmakers, shot scenes in Holešovice, in front of the Rudolfinum and on the Čech bridge, which represented corners of Prague, Vienna and Berlin. The Carlin complex Futurama Business Park, in turn, portrayed Bangkok. Shots of Prague were sometimes supplemented with skyscrapers and high-rise buildings. The dominant feature of the Prague filming is the action sequence with the tram and Czech policemen, which became a hit on the Internet.
Brutal action taking place on the roof of a tram passing through Prague’s Holešovice, Náměstí republiky or around the Rudolfinum. “It’s a fantastic scene that had audiences applauding at both screenings I attended,” Collider writes, noting that the film is an adaptation of Mark Greaney’s novel of the same name. The writer is famous for his collaborations on Tom Clancy’s spy novels and the streamer, and from the film he promises to launch a successful action franchise in the style of James Bond. After all, the film will feature a new bondgirl with the face of the lovely Ana de Armas.
The Gray Man Prague 2021 (How the film was made) part 2 https://t.co/k7Rc7t36Ng over @Youtube
— David D (@ddobiasek)
July 18, 2021
With its $200 million budget, the film surpassed Netflix’s most expensive film to date: the gangster film Irishman by legendary director Martin Scorsese, which cost “just” $159 million. The Gray Man was ten years in the making and opened in 450 theaters in America. On Friday, he headed to the video store — coincidentally, when the streaming giant needs to “step on the gas.” The second quarter report ended up not being as negative as expected, but it still reports a decline of more than a million subscribers.
“No. 1 on Netflix” with an average rating
Critical ratings and reviews are quite embarrassing and rather mediocre. While the American film database Rotten Tomatoes maintains an average rating of 49 percent, so Czech-Slovak film database the picture is rated by 61 percent. It topped the viewing charts during its opening weekend. “The Gray Man is the most watched movie on Netflix. It happened in 91 countries on its opening day,” the Russo brothers wrote on Twitter. He added that they are proud of the cast and crew as well as the audience who watched the film.
#TheGrayMan is #1 @NetflixFilm Film around the world. It already hit #1 in 91 countries on opening day!! So proud of the cast and crew of TGM… and so grateful to everyone who watched 👊 pic.twitter.com/3fZDu5TGV9
— Russo Brothers (@Russo_Brothers)
July 23, 2022
“For all its excess, The Gray Man is huge and very loud fun. Ryan Gosling enjoys every moment while Chris Evans devours the action scenes. Even if they are corny elements, they are not unwatchable,” writes film critic John Anderson in a review for the Wall Street Journal.
“A mysterious CIA agent uncovers secrets that could destroy the agency completely. A former colleague, who has probably gone mad, then puts a bounty on his head and chases him around the world,” Netflix teases about its new film.