Images courtesy of AppleTV
I hadn’t come across this movie or even seen the trailer until I caught Kenneth Branagh promoting it on the TODAY show. The Irish actor/director somehow managed to sell the movie, so I watched it as soon as it dropped on Apple TV despite Ryan Reynolds being in it. I have to admit, I’m pretty worn out by Reynolds’ brand of acting, which is all about that hyper-verbal, self-aware goofiness that he tends to bring to most of his films. In this buddy comedy set in 1987, he actually takes on the role of the straight man as a US Navy pilot, reminiscent of Top Gun’s Maverick, who gets shot down over Soviet territory.
He encounters a wild man of the woods in the form of Branagh’s Nikolai Ustinov, an eccentric ex-KGB agent completely obsessed with American pop culture, so much so that he insists on being called ‘Nick’ and dreams of living in the US and exploring America in an RV. Branagh must really enjoy portraying a Russian man, as this marks his third time playing one after Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and Tenet, though this time his character is friendly for a change.
The references to Tony Scott’s Top Gun are off the charts, starting with the flying scenes set to a rousing 80s song and the camaraderie of the pilots in their all-white uniforms. Reynolds’ Troy Kelly wakes up to see Tom Cruise’s face on the movie poster stuck on the wall of Nick’s rustic cabin. Though Nick tries to help him, Troy makes a break for it and ends up bumping into some not-so-friendly Russians at a bar. I couldn’t help but chuckle watching 65-year-old Branagh channeling his inner Chuck Norris in a red plaid shirt, throwing down in some hilarious hand-to-hand combat and over-the-top fight scenes.
John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are back at it again, teaming up for their fourth film after the enjoyable Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. These creative pals and real-life best friends seem to have a knack for buddy comedies. Daley and Goldstein clearly have a special fondness for 80s buddy comedies like Midnight Run, as their plot mirrors that of two starkly different characters forced to journey across great distances while dodging capture.
Troy is stranded more than 2,000 miles away from the nearest international border, with a war-hungry KGB agent named Alexander Volkov (Polish actor Marcin Dorociński) hot on his heels. Nick offers Troy refuge in exchange for asylum in the U.S. for himself and his estranged daughter Anna (Maria Bakalova). It quickly becomes a race against time to get home as they hit more than a few snags along the way. I’m always annoyed by characters on the run who don’t even try to blend in, like dyeing their hair or simply throwing on a hat. In any case, there’s plenty of action on their road trip, but the funniest moment is actually the least action-packed, featuring the mismatched duo and a Russian dignitary’s mistress hiding in a wine closet.
The film’s effort at social justice and the dramatic father-daughter relationship feel a bit awkward despite a compelling performance from Bakalova. Without spoiling anything, let’s just say Troy helps Nick mend things with his daughter by revealing why he left the bigoted, intolerant KGB. There’s a parallel to the father-son relationship between Troy and his ailing dad (David Morse), where Troy discovers a shocking truth that challenges his loyalty to the country he’s served to protect.
Some of the situations Troy and Nick get into are definitely more absurd than others, like that train scene packed with Soviet soldiers. By the time they manage to steal a nuclear missile transport truck, the film has turned into a farce similar to a Roger Moore Bond flick. The action scene in the third act reminds me of that ludicrous Venetian moment in Moonraker where Bond drives a Bondola (a mix between a gondola and a hovercraft), but with less winking and more goofy banter.
As someone who grew up in the 80s and has a soft spot for buddy comedies, I still find Mayday to be a riot. The energetic score by Colin Stetson gives off a retro, Cold War vibe, and I particularly love the 80s music drops like Van Halen’s Jump, Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark, and of course, Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone. Branagh really steals the show here; he’s the main reason to check this out since he adds gravitas to the material. He has great chemistry with Reynolds, and it’s impressive to see the usually serious Shakespearean actor handle physical comedy so well.
Given that we’re currently at war and Russia is still attacking Ukraine, the idea of distinguishing ordinary folks from the actions of their vile government is on point. Both Troy and Nick discover their common humanity and realize they share more similarities than what they’ve been led to believe. This message is particularly relevant today, yet it’s presented in a light and enjoyable manner. If you’re in search of a fun movie to enjoy over a long weekend, Mayday provides an amusing diversion.
I watched this one the other night and I enjoyed the heck out of it. There were quite a few hilarious moments and it definitely reminded me of Midnight Run. But I have a feeling the writers ran out of ideas for the last half hour for the movie. When they stole that nuclear missile transport truck and went on that silly chase, the writers probably realized they had to include a big action scene for the climax and didn’t know what to do and wrote that scene in. Lol!
As for Reynolds, he’s been phoning it in for a while now. It seems he must’ve had some kind of deal in his contract saying that he won’t do any physical action scenes. The last few action movies he did for streaming services, he’s hardly been part of the action even though he gets paid like $40mil per movie!
Hey Ted! Yeah, it was enjoyable despite having Reynolds in it with his usual schtick! I probably would’ve skipped this one if it weren’t for Branagh. I think him channeling Chuck Norris is hilarious, as it’s so unexpected. Well, Branagh should’ve been paid more than Reynolds here as he’s the MVP, can’t believe Reynolds command $40/movie doing basically the exact same thing every single time, ugh!
I think Branagh should keep making more action movies from now on. I mean, Sal from Breaking Bad is making action movies and I think people would love to see Branaugh as an action hero instead of villain.
Once these actors becomes a brand name, they can demand so much money. Since Streaming Services doesn’t release their movies in theaters much, brand named actors like Reynolds can demand hefty fee upfront. They typically gets percentage of the film’s box office earnings for theatrical releases but not when their movies are playing on streaming. Netflix spent $80mil of the reported $200mil budget on Brad Pitt, David Fincher and QT for their upcoming sequel The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth. $40mil went to Pitt and QT and Fincher split the other $40mil.
I sure hope Branagh would do more action comedies, as he’s clearly good at it! I mean, Much Ado About Nothing is pretty funny, but I’ve never seen him do physical comedy.
Yeah, I suppose Deadpool is so bankable that he can name his price, but Reynolds really has no range. His attempt at being serious only makes him look like he’s constipated! I didn’t realize Fincher is gonna be directing ‘The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth’! Well, I’m actually more intrigued by it now than when QT was directing, ahah.
When they announced that QT wrote the script for The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth for Fincher to direct, it was on April’s Fools Day and I didn’t believe it. For a few months nothing happened but then suddenly, it became official and Pitt said he’s going to do it. Lol! While I wasn’t a big fan of Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, I’m looking forward to this spinoff/sequel.
Thanks Ruth! Will watch this tomorrow with Norman.
OR if he gets back early enough..tonight!
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Hope you and Norm enjoy this if you haven’t already. It’s a fun watch, especially for Sir Branagh!
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I thought this was an unusual pairing and as such not quite sure what goodness we’d get out of this film, but it sounds like we have gotten a lot, Ruth. I wasn’t really going to put this on the watch list, but am rethinking that stance. I like both of the leads a lot, and perhaps they do make for good cinematic buddies after all.
Hey Bruce! I watched this one for Kenneth Branagh who’s such a likable guy (and he’s not faking it like Reynolds). He’s really the highlight here, and his fight skills are clearly an homage to Chuck Norris, which made it even funnier. I hope he’d do more action comedies!
I have a fondness for 80s throwbacks, so I’ll keep an eye out for Mayday. Kenneth Branagh doing physical comedy? Now that’s an added draw.
Yeah! Branagh’s role here is really the main draw for me. The 80s vibe is a hoot! I had a big smile on my face when the Van Halen ‘Jump’ came on 😁
I didn’t expect Kenneth Branagh and Ryan Reynolds to be such an entertaining pairing, but this review really made their chemistry sound like one of the best parts of the movie. Branagh doing more physical comedy and leaning into that old-school 80s action style sounds especially fun. I also like that Mayday seems a little over-the-top without completely losing the character side of the story. This definitely feels like the kind of movie I’d enjoy watching on a relaxed weekend.
Hello Nora, welcome to FlixChatter! I didn’t expect these two as a duo either, but I think casting Branagh against type is a brilliant idea, and he truly delivered! The retro 80s vibe and music make it extra fun. It’s an entertaining escapism movie, and who doesn’t enjoy that? Cheers!