Parents' Guide to The Gray Man

The Gray Man is more a series of great parts than an enthralling whole. It features solid performances by Gosling and Thornton, but the true gem of the movie is Evans, who transforms from Marvel's wholesome Captain America into a sadistic, gleeful, disturbingly charismatic villain. His performance will make you want to see him cast as villains more often, since his good guy looks and charm provide another layer of sinister to evil characters.

The film is a bit of a letdown in terms of racial and gender diversity. On paper, The Gray Man has both characters of color and strong women in potentially substantial roles. But while Page and Alfre Woodard are the standouts in this regard, that has more to do with their personal charisma than with what's written on the page. And even though Ana de Armas plays an agent in the field like Six, her character, Dani, is less defined than his -- and quite bland. Similarly, Jessica Henwick doesn't have much to work with as Suzanne, a CIA agent working under Denny who's constantly belittled by both him and Lloyd. Overall, The Gray Man is a standard-issue spy film that goes in circles with regard to characters' motivations. If you like seeing cars crash and people fight, then this film is for you (as long as you can hang in there for its two-hour-plus run time), but those looking for an engaging story are more likely to find satisfaction in individual performances.