Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Writers: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Kenneth Branagh, Maria Bakalova
Synopsis: Lieutenant Troy Brennan’s reconnaissance mission over Soviet territory goes awry, forcing him to crash-land and survive in Russian wilderness while evading capture or rescue.
When it comes to Mayday, the latest film from writer/director duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, one has to wonder: How do you tell a story regarding American-centrism in the 1980s? And all the while, feel relevant enough to not feel “ra-ra” American. Especially in the year of our lord 2026, where that sense of favoritism towards the country…is kinda not there. Luckily though, with Mayday, Daley and Goldstein manage to balance those themes out in a surprisingly effective way and then some. But first, what is Mayday? Set in the year 1987 and at the height of the Cold War, Mayday follows hotshot Air Force pilot Lt. Troy Kelly (Ryan Reynolds) as he gets recruited on a classified Black Ops mission. The goal? To take aerial photos of a Russian base. However, during the mission, Kelly’s plane gets taken out, forcing him to crash behind enemy lines. It’s there in the Russian wilderness, where Troy meets Nikolai Ustinov (Kenneth Branagh) – an eccentric but dangerous former KGB agent with a love for all things America. Together, the two go on the run as Nikolai tries to get Troy out of the country and ultimately, out of enemy territory. Hijinks ensue.
Back to Goldstein and Daley, the thing that makes Mayday interesting, is their tightness and commitment to the story. In a film like this, it is very easy for it to become so zany and out there that you begin to lose sight of the main objective. That, of course is, at the end of the day, to tell a good story. Luckily, Daley and Goldstein do exactly that. As both writers and directors, the pair keep a tight focus on the film’s central premise without spinning off into too many different escapades. Yes, there are some side-quests, but it’s nothing too out of the ordinary. As a result, the duo keeps the film to what it is: a simple action comedy between two people with two different personalities – a tried and true genre. This simplicity also extends into their direction. Working with their long-time collaborator cinematographer Barry Peterson, the cinematography is well-shot, filling the frame with greys and blues. The action sequences are dynamic and unique, with a clear consistency to them. Additionally, Peterson shoots the film with an almost anamorphic lens, making it feel like a Wes Anderson movie at times. Furthermore, production designer Nora Takacs Ekberg manages to make Russia in the ‘80s so desolate and barren, that it provides an immediate contrast to the glitz and glamor of America in the 1980s. The same can be said for the costumes, courtesy of costume designer Debra McGuire. McGuire also utilizes a similar simplicity to Daley and Goldstein, in which it’s nothing too garish and out there. But, it also gets the job done and matches with the characters’ personalities. On top of that, the score by composer Colin Stetson buzzes with a techno charm that matches the decade’s interest in electronica. This becomes very apparent during the action sequences where the base and intensity is turned up to eleven. Finally, there is the editing. Clocking in at about an hour and fifty minutes, Jamie Gross and John Lee productively chop away any sort of fat. Thus, making a lean and mean cut of a film.
As for the performances, Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh lead the film swimmingly and confidently. Starting with Reynolds, for the first half of the film, he’s doing his Deadpool shtick as Kelly, albeit a much more restrained version. However, during the second half of the film, it starts to recede, allowing Reynolds to make Kelly feel like an actual person. The reduction also allows for Reynolds and Branagh’s chemistry to blossom more. And speaking of the latter, as Nikolai (or Nick, as his friends call him), Branagh balances eccentricity with a level of grit and heart that is never overplayed. It would have been easy to do that, but luckily Branagh keeps it at a place where you feel as an actual three-dimensional human being. Now, while the leads do a pretty good job, the rest of the cast is…alright to say the least. They deliver good work, but aren’t really present. The main one to note is Maria Bakalova, whose screen-time is surprisingly limited, despite her connection to one of the characters being extremely major. This also applies to the chief antagonist Volkov, played by Marcin Dorocinski . While Dorcinski gets the job done, performance-wise, his presence is lacking due to, again, a lack of screentime.
With Mayday, Daley and Goldstein crafted a lean, but simple action-comedy. One that works well enough thanks to its script. direction, and editing. This can be also seen in the action, which is dynamic and unique thanks to the cinematography. Moreover, Reynolds and Branagh have good, contrasting chemistry with each other. Overall, Mayday is quite the effective ‘80s buddy American action comedy. Which considering everything , is probably the best thing we can ask for right now.
