‘Mayday’ Interview: Directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein on ‘Top Gun’ Nostalgia and Working with an ICBM
- On Friday, Apple TV+ debuts 'Mayday,' a Cold War action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds as a U.S. Navy pilot and Kenneth Branagh as an America-loving ex-KGB agent who rescues him after a crash.
- Set in 1987, Lieutenant Troy 'Assassin' Kelly is shot down over Soviet territory during a black ops mission, awakening in the cabin of Nikolai 'Nick' Ustinov, a solitary former KGB agent obsessed with Top Gun.
- Directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein craft the buddy comedy with precise action sequences and strong chemistry between leads. Branagh emerges as the film's consistent highlight, stealing scenes with his portrayal of Nick.
- Nick agrees to guide Kelly to the American Embassy if Kelly helps him defect, forcing the pair to evade KGB official Alexander Volkov, who hunts them with relentless determination throughout their road trip.
- Critics note the film balances nostalgia for '80s action cinema with modern sensibilities, including positive portrayals of LGBTQ characters. However, the streaming-exclusive release on Apple TV+ limits its potential as a theatrical spectacle.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Movie Review: Kenneth Branagh and Ryan Reynolds star in irreverent Cold War action-comedy ‘Mayday’ – WTOP News
Somewhere along the way, Sir Kenneth Branagh developed a knack for playing Russians. He was the vindictive oligarch in “Tenet” and a villainous industrialist in “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” but “Mayday” may be the first time he’s been asked to use his very particular set of language skills for … comedy? His character, Nikolai Ustinov...
Associated Press News
Movie Review: Kenneth Branagh and Ryan Reynolds star in irreverent Cold War action-comedy ‘Mayday’
Kenneth Branagh plays an ex-KGB officer who helps Ryan Reynolds' U.S. Navy pilot escape from Russia during the Cold War in the new film “Mayday.”
The News-Herald
‘Mayday’ review: Stars, filmmakers contribute to lifting action comedy
Kenneth Branagh and Ryan Reynolds shine as an odd-couple ex-KGB and U.S. pilot duo in "Mayday," Apple TV's fun Cold War action comedy. Read our review.
'Mayday' Review: Ryan Reynolds & Kenneth Branagh In Top Gun Form
David Ellison keeps pledging that Paramount and Warner Bros will release 30 movies a year each if the infamous ParaBros merger goes through. Hopefully they will even be good movies. That would be nice. But with Skydance and David Ellison as producers of the raucously entertaining, big-scale, star-driven action comedy Mayday, they have missed the opportunity to start making good on that pledge with a movie that theaters and audiences would kill …
'Mayday' Directors John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein "Would Never Say No" To MCU Return After Working On 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'
This week sees the filmmaking duo of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (“Game Night,” “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”) with their Cold War era action-comedy “Mayday” starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branghan, as the latter plays a Soviet man obsessed with America attempting to help a downed American pilot get to safety after he crash lands in enemy terrority. The Playlist’s own Mike DeAngelo got a chance to speak with the di…
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