by John Tillyard, Contributing Writer
When Troy Kelly (Ryan Reynolds) becomes trapped behind enemy lines during the height of the Cold War, he is taken in and befriended by an ex-KGB agent, Nikolai Ustinov (Kenneth Branagh). Nikolai wishes to help him as he greatly admires Troy’s homeland. The two of them must work together to evade the Soviets searching for Troy. Meanwhile, Troy begins to wonder how he can repay Nikolai for his help while their two nations are at war.
To be clear, this is not based on any true event from the Cold War. This is a typical buddy-cop story set during the Cold War and is entirely fictional. Branagh is the more serious character who does most of the quick thinking and puts together plans, while Reynolds is the funny guy who drops the one-liners. Let’s face it, you know Ryan Reynolds is playing the same character type every time. Reynolds’ character does a great job of adding a lot of light-hearted humor to quite an intense experience, and I laughed throughout the film. One element of comedy I didn’t care for was the constant references to the film Top Gun, with this film set one year after its release and Troy in a role similar to Maverick’s. However, I feel like they go massively overboard with the number of references. The only real joke seems to be “that’s from Top Gun!” and this is leaned into even more by the fact that everyone in the film has seen it, so even the characters are laughing at it as the joke; cute at first, but it got old fast.
Reynolds’s co-star is well known for his incredible ability to disappear into any role given to him. He does a great job as a sometimes-stoic, often-friendly Russian agent who serves as the brains behind their quest for freedom. With the story set in the 80s, they, of course, hit many of the tropes of the cheesy 80s action flick, such as car chases, fistfights, explorations, shootouts, and the main characters not playing by the rules. The nostalgic feeling of 80s action films lands heavily here, adding a lot of fun to the whole experience.
The opening scene is another one of those in medias res scenes that show you something involving the main character, leaving you unsure what’s going on for a few minutes. Then they take us back to the beginning of the story, leaving you wondering, “how the main character got there.” Sometimes this can work well as an early hook to get you invested, but on this occasion, it was more like a spoiler for the first twenty minutes of the film. I found myself waiting for them to get back to where the film started so I could get a better sense of what was happening. What was particularly odd about starting the film like this is that the first scene, chronologically, seems like a much better way to begin, while the actual first scene is just odd, with nothing clear about what’s going on.
Another thing I admired about the humor was how many genuinely clever and original gags there were, even in scenes that still had a lot of tension or drama. For example, there are a few scenes where Troy and Nikolai desperately try to not get caught, and a tense atmosphere builds as you wonder whether they might get found out. Still, at the same time, rather absurd and unexpected things keep happening to ensure you are laughing while you wonder.
The story isn’t particularly clever, unlike some of directors John Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s other films. At its core, the story is a simple quest for Troy and Nikolai to escape the Soviets; the enjoyment and interest come from how they go about it. But don’t expect any unexpected twists or subversions of the plot. There are a few different turns in the narrative as well as a few character revelations, but nothing that feels like something you would not have seen coming in any other action film. This isn’t a plot to make you think or rack your brain about what might really be going on; this is much more about sitting back and enjoying the ride.
There is certainly plenty to enjoy here with a good variety of action, and it all looks amazing. There aren’t any shots or effects that look fake, at least none that I spotted. The action has just the right balance of comedy, fun, and genuine stakes, so you are never taking the events too seriously, but you also care about what happens to the main characters. Some might be turned off by the unrealistic nature of the action given the true setting of Soviet Russia during the Cold War. Still, personally, I think that adds a bit of nostalgia to the experience.
If Mayday has one major shortcoming, it’s the supporting cast: no one outside the two lead characters is given enough screen time to establish any real connection with them. Most side characters the two leads cross paths with exist only as obstacles to deal with or as gags to react to. Even Nikolai’s daughter, Anna (Maria Bakalova), is in the story for only about 10 minutes and seems to have a role that screams tokenism rather than a meaningful one.
But on the whole, Mayday is a fun romp through 80s nostalgia, with just the right level of cheesiness blended with action, comedy, and stakes. It’s a little distracting that Reynolds is basically playing himself in a story set in the 80s, but he still adds a lot of good humor and makes the whole experience a lot more enjoyable. His chemistry with Branagh is the real driving force that makes the story work, and you can’t help but care that the two of them make it out together. Despite the story not being very deep, there is a good message here: good people can come from anywhere, and behind every nationality, culture, and upbringing is a human being with their own feelings, personality, and beliefs.
Rating: Liked It
Mayday is currently available to stream on Apple TV
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