Apple TV
Dan Bennett – With a respectful nod and wink to “Top Gun” and many buddy-action comedies that came before and after, “Mayday” is Cold War storytelling with some warmth. And some knife fights.
The new Apple TV film is quick-witted enough and ponders international relations admirably, but i
s as much interested in hand-to-hand combat, cunning trickery, and at least half a dozen narrow escapes behind enemy lines.
“Mayday” stars Ryan Reynolds as Troy “Assassin” Kelly, a U.S. Navy pilot sent on a secret mission above Soviet territory in 1987. When things go awry, Kelly finds himself on the run from KGB agents and later, heavily armed Soviet soldiers.
In the woods, Kelly knocks on the door of – surprise! – a former KGB operative and assassin, Nikolai, played by Kenneth Branagh. After a few minutes of one-on-one fisticuffs, and some meaningful conversation squeezed in, they reconcile with the fact that not only do they need each other, they agree on many things.
As Kelly and Nikolai make their way to the American Embassy in Moscow – where Kelly will be safe, and Nikolai can perhaps defect – numerous challenges find them, including barroom brawls and those promised knife fights. On this perilous trip, the duo, discovering even more common ground (including Bruce Springsteen), also engage in increasingly meaningful conversation: on politics, life philosophies, family, and the needless confusion that divides cultures and countries.
As the ups and downs accumulate, the duo finally land in Moscow, on the eve of the jubilant May Day parade, where plot twists continue to pile up, but the action never stops, and the conversation remains ongoing.
“Mayday” is a sometimes goofy geopolitical action-comedy that won’t be confused with a deep immersion into serious political conversation. Rather, it places mayhem first, and some impressive spectacle at the end, while its talking points are well-spoken and meaningful, often touching, even when things get fiery.
Reynolds and Branagh share a keen chemistry, and “Mayday” makes much of its opportunities.
“Mayday” B
Directors: Jonathan Goldstein, John Frances Daley
Rated: PG-13 (for violence and action, some strong language)
Runtime: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Now Streaming on Apple TV
