Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo reunite with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for Netflix's recently released action thriller, The Gray Man. Those viewers going in expecting anything like the wild and thoroughly enjoyable ride of those superhero ensemble films are in for a huge disappointment. The Gray Man is anything but enjoyable.

The film follows Sierra Six, a black ops mercenary and reformed criminal working for the CIA. After uncovering corruption within the agency, Six goes on the run. Tasked with hunting him down is former CIA agent and ruthless merc Lloyd Hansen. In order to get to Six, Hansen chases his handler, Donald Fitzroy, and Donald's niece, Claire. With only a handful of allies, including CIA agent Dani Miranda and Margaret Cahill, Six needs to rescue Claire and Donald, evade capture, and ensure the truth of the CIA's corrupt agents is revealed.

RELATED: The Gray Man Reviews Slam Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans' Action Film as Bland and Boring

chris evans the gray man

The Gray Man's premise seems intriguing enough. Unfortunately, reading about it is probably more exciting than actually watching the thing. The film itself is certainly far less exciting than the many movies that have attempted to tell this kind of story before. Anyone familiar with the Markus, McFeely, and the Russo Brothers' work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe might expect something along the lines of Captain America: The Winter Soldier or Captain America: Civil War. The Gray Man certainly feels like it's trying to be at times, but it doesn't have the same kind of intrigue and lacks the same caliber of heroes.

The film boasts a star-studded cast including Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Alfre Woodard, Billy Bob Thornton, Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, and Regé-Jean Page. All of them have proven their acting talents in a wide range of films, but it'd be difficult to tell in this movie. It's not on them, though. The actors just seem unable to make the stilted, cliché-ridden dialogue work. Evans, who plays Lloyd Hansen, is the only one who seems able to bring any real energy to his role and the film, but even his charismatic performance can't save The Gray Man from falling flat.

RELATED: Joe & Anthony Russo Dish on the Spectacle & Commentary of The Gray Man

Ana de Armas in The Gray Man

Netflix reportedly spent roughly $200 million on the film, and it does show. Audiences will be treated to a number of fast-paced, well-choreographed fight scenes and sizable action sequences. As gorgeous as the film can be at times, it's held back by sequences that are too fast-paced to be enjoyable and fights that are oddly shrouded in smoke or darkness to be viewable.

Of course, the worst part of all of it is that there's so little driving these scenes to make audiences care about any of it anyway. The protagonist, Sierra Six, played like a stone-faced, occasionally-funny government agent by Gosling, is a glib, well-trained assassin who has been like a son to his handler, Donald Fitzroy, and family to Fitzroy's niece, Claire. Audiences won't know that from any heartfelt moments, witty remarks, or exciting montages. It's told to audiences by supporting characters, and viewers will just have to take their word for it. The Gray Man simply doesn't appear at all interested in offering viewers any heart.

Characterization isn't the only thing The Gray Man rushes through. Between large-scale brawls and chase sequences, the film will also throw a multitude of clichés at audiences in quick succession -- so many that viewers will oftentimes feel certain they've seen some of these moments before. None of the plot twists or major reveals this film has in store are unpredictable. There are corrupt agents, an over-the-top evil mercenary leader, and a kidnaped little girl, among many other tired tropes.

RELATED: Ryan Gosling Reveals the Superhero He Really Wants to Play

image of two characters from The Gray Man

The one weirdly unpredictable facet of the film is the misogyny, which is hard to ignore. Hansen and CIA Agent Denny Carmichael, played by Page, both have moments in which they make sexist remarks and even threats of sexual harassment almost randomly. It seems like the intent was to really drive a point home: these guys are absolutely despicable. Even then, the comments seem completely out of place and aren't ever addressed.

It all comes full circle to comparisons between this film and the Russo Brothers' work in the MCU. The Gray Man feels like it's trying to be a superhero movie with its fights and chases, with one special agent subduing multiple highly-trained assassins, chase sequences involving guns and trams somehow destroying an entire city block, and main characters performing superhuman feats of agility and strength. That might seem all well and good, but it lacks the colorful characters that make all of that work for the MCU. For those viewers who might have felt Civil War amounted to the MCU throwing a bunch of action figures at each other, The Gray Man can feel like Netflix throwing far less interesting plastic dolls at each other.

The Gray Man is available for streaming now on Netflix.