Guys, guns, and a ton of cash! Our META movie review of Guy Ritchie's In the Grey

In the action thriller "In the Grey," Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Eiza González play debt collectors with a twist. To get their hands on the money, they come up with a particularly ingenious plan. Find out how we rate director Guy Ritchie's new film and what other critics are saying in KinoCheck's META film review!

Here's what it's about

Manny Salazar (Carlos Bardem) is a ruthless despot. And he's in debt. Deep in debt. But he has no intention of paying it back. To collect the debt, the shrewd lawyer Rachel Wild (Eiza González) is sent after him. While she corners Salazar with all sorts of legal tricks, her team of loyal elite agents devises a sophisticated plan to be prepared for any eventuality. Because one thing is clear: anyone who puts the squeeze on Salazar must expect a correspondingly violent response. Under the leadership of Sid (Henry Cavill) and Bronco (Jake Gyllenhaal), the men meticulously prepare every step. The plan seems to be working. But they may have underestimated Salazar. A showdown ensues on the despot's heavily guarded private island.

For the cinematic adaptation of this debt collection operation – as action-packed as it is well-thought-out – director and screenwriter Guy Ritchie takes an interesting approach. The planning of the mission isn't merely a prelude to the actual plot – the planning is the plot. At least for much of the film. The crew around Sid and Bronco constantly explains which methods they intend to use to leave nothing to chance and tighten the noose around Salazar – while we simultaneously see the team putting their preparations into action. The problem: At first, this is still engaging, but over time it becomes quite tedious.

Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com sees things a bit differently. Overall, reviews of "In the Grey" are mixed – his review, however, is extremely positive, and he particularly highlights the way information is conveyed in the film:

"There's a continuous flow of information that has to be juxtaposed with the violence, but you're rarely confused. It's all laid out like clothes on a bed."

Not exactly cool

We think: It's more like someone turned on the audio commentary before you've even seen the actual movie. Which, unfortunately, isn't the only weakness of this action thriller. Guy Ritchie goes out of his way to portray his heroes as emphatically cool and quick-witted. Always with a casual quip on their lips, no situation – no matter how dire – seems to rattle them in the slightest. But what's meant to come across as particularly laid-back increasingly feels affected: This applies to the small, mildly funny jabs between Sid and Bronco as well as to the tough one-liners Rachel uses to confront her opponents. Especially since the three stars – Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Eiza González – remain relatively lackluster in their roles.

William Bibbiani of TheWrap also discusses the lead actors and criticizes the fact that there is nothing to challenge Cavill and Gyllenhaal. Regarding González, he says:

"You can see Eiza González trying, as much as anyone could, to add something to her character, but only when the film gives her a chance, and that's only two or three times and only for a couple seconds."

The heroes barely break a sweat

Especially since the tension suffers from the fact that Rachel's brave band of men hardly ever breaks a sweat. The guys are not only several steps ahead of their opponents, but also several bullets ahead. They effortlessly take out everything and everyone. Clever guys with guns. You don't have to worry about these heroes – but that also means a sense of threat never really sets in.

Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter agrees:

"They're sometimes too efficient, however, with Sid and Bronco and their team executing every maneuver flawlessly, communicating throughout via earpieces that never go on the blink, without any of them suffering so much as a scratch."

The fact that the character development generally leaves something to be desired is also evident in Robert Brian Taylor's critical review on Collider:

"Some extra time could have not only paid off all that planning Sid and Bronco do in more impressive ways, but also given the characters more space to feel like actual characters, as opposed to just standard-issue tough-guy archetypes."

That said, the film is technically quite solid: the timing is spot-on, and the action is straightforward. In directing his thriller, Guy Ritchie proceeds with the same level of expertise as his film heroes do in carrying out their mission. And yet "In the Grey" only really picks up steam toward the end, when suddenly more is at stake than just a pile of cash and the success of a mission. However, the showdown also proves disappointing: the tension fizzles out in the end just as quickly as it built up.

Conclusion: An intriguing premise, but a tedious result: Guy Ritchie's "In the Grey" is, unfortunately, not particularly gripping.

"In the Grey" opened in theaters on May 15, 2026.