Director: Brad Bird
Writer: Brad Bird, Matthew Robbins, Jeffrey Lynch
Stars: Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Waits
Synopsis: In Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future, private eye Raymond Gunn is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star named Venus Nova.
Ray Gunn is Brad Bird’s long-gestating passion project that is finally being given the opportunity to see the light of day. And if anything is assuredly certain from this film’s release, it’s that there’s likely no character name in 2026 that can rival Ray Gunn (a perfect, pulled right from the ‘50s vocal performance by Sam Rockwell). But this film’s quality doesn’t merely end at this cool name or the effortlessly stylish demeanor of its titular character. In fact, that’s only the first of countless hooks Bird uses to draw his audience into a film that has so much to offer in terms of both ideas and style. From the moment the film opens on Metropia, a futuristic cityscape pulling all its aesthetics from classically cinematic Art Deco styling, it’s difficult to imagine feeling the desire to spend two hours anywhere else. There’s a reason so much of Bird’s career remains synonymous with top-notch quality. And yet again, Ray Gunn feels completely indicative as to why that qualifier remains.
Every film of Bird’s exists within a world that feels wholly lived-in. Each one is ripe for exploration, as if the camera could venture away from the central driving force of its respective film, and still provide the audience with plenty to ponder or be entertained by. Luckily for us, Bird provides ample opportunity to both steep his audience further into the world of Metropia, while also bolting us in place with a riveting noir story that feels as if it was pulled right from the pages of a pulpy 1950s classic. One of the great achievements of Ray Gunn is Bird’s knack for familiarizing the audience with all the futuristic tech on display while never losing sight of the classically noir core driving the characters and their emotional stakes. Without a strong story to ground the entire thing, this film might have just become a series of pretty visuals to look at. Ray Gunn couldn’t be anything further from that, utilizing every moment of its audience’s rapt attention to dazzle us with a genuinely refreshing homage that feels fully rooted in the past, while operating with all the fundamental traits of a contemporary blockbuster. The black-and-white noir look is replaced with vibrant pops of neon and fluid animation across the board. The film, frankly, looks amazing and lively beyond belief. Yet, the gray world of crime and shaky morals noir stories exist within is still present in the bones of this film, something no amount of dazzling animation or colorful characters could ever suppress.
And in fact, the colorful character work is one of this film’s greatest strengths. The assortment of characters Bird introduces, from shady crime bosses and henchmen, to the classic femme fatale, the gumshoe, and his sidekick, all make up this wonderful collage that feels organic. Ray Gunn initially drops the viewer right into the middle of a case, and this prologue of sorts teaches us the core characteristics of both Ray and his alien sidekick, Eye-Ra (an exceptional, perfectly gravelly Tom Waits). From that point on, Bird and co-writer Matthew Robbins are off to the races, introducing the audience to a variety of settings from the glitziest penthouses to the shadiest of backroom offices and underground clubs. Each one is filled with distinct archetypes pulled from the pages of Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett, only here Bird is able to put his own imaginative sci-fi spin on each. There’s nothing more enjoyable than being steeped in such familiar tropes yet remaining wide-eyed and surprised at just how silly some of these characters and their designs can become. Importantly, these characters never lose their edge despite the setting or rating of the film. This is a noir through and through, so genre fans can rest assured knowing the stakes match the setting. The tone of this can certainly be fun at times, given Bird’s penchant for pure entertainment, but there’s a thematic weight to this film which is quite effective and never undercut by all the genre elements throughout the film.
One also gets the sense that every inch of Metropia has been deeply thought through. Of course, this is part of the reason Bird’s action sequences are historically top-notch; this film certainly isn’t the exception in his filmography. One sequence in particular stands out as one of the most inventive action setpieces of the year, and it’s topped with a clever idea that feels less like a cherry on top of the sequence, and more like a whole new sundae for audiences to gluttonously feast upon. Ray Gunn is a film that can immediately dial up the action at a moment’s notice. Each time it’s more thrilling than the last, and this escalation keeps the viewer on their toes for the entirety of its runtime. But perhaps the most enthralling element of this film’s pacing is when it chooses to slow down completely, allowing its great voice cast to deliver, yet again, the classic sort of noir lines fans of the genre can’t get enough of. Despite its setting and contemporary filmmaking traits, this is a neo-noir film that is just as interested in exploring the malleability of ideas like true justice, corruption, moral integrity, sensuality, and desire. Another wonderful aspect of Ray Gunn is just how much the scuzziness of these characters brushes up against the neon lights of the futuristic Metropia to begin with. You truly get the sense that there is no bastion of pure good here, even in such a potentially utopian world. This weighs on the shoulders of Ray, who despite doing his best to remain on the up and up, also falls prey to the occasional temptation.
Yet Ray is such a wonderful character to explore as he interacts with such a variety of differing archetypes. While he, too, is essentially an archetypal figurehead, Rockwell breathes a lot of life into him through his voice performance. The same can be said about Waits’ tired Eye-Ra, who remains a bit of an ethical foil to Ray while ultimately respecting his longtime partner and friend. One can imagine countless adventures between the two of them simply based on how effortless their banter comes across in the film. It’s a delightful pairing for the film, with both characters sharing the spotlight a lot of the time. It’s a decision that makes for a really balanced on-screen relationship. The same can also certainly be said about Venus Nova (Scarlett Johansson), the femme fatale who is thankfully granted more depth than the typical archetype she’s inspired by might have been allowed decades ago. In many ways, Ray Gunn is a film exploring the necessary search for finding something genuine in a world shrouded by distractions and invasive practices, whether they be of the business variety or interpersonal. Bird is able to frame the constantly shifting relationship between Ray and Venus as a way to grapple with the difficulties of parsing through so much noise and confusion in ways that work wonderfully to the film’s benefit. This shouldn’t be a shock considering Bird gave us the incredible dynamic between Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl in The Incredibles, but it’s also amazing to see just how tantalizing and sensual this film can feel whenever these two characters are flirting with one another. As intentions remain veiled or shockingly revealed, there’s a genuine romance to this film beyond the characters’ love lives. The romance ultimately lies in the steadfast belief that truth, and some semblance of justice, can prevail despite so much around us telling us otherwise. Ray, alongside many of the characters in this film, might feel imprisoned within their own sets of beliefs and circumstances. But Bird takes that feeling of being stuck, and channels it into a truly delightful and creative tale about breaking free without losing your truest self.
Ray Gunn will be released in select theaters and on limited 70mm screens on December 4. It will be released on Netflix December 18.
