Comical ‘Mayday’ mixes commies and commrades
The unlikely pairing of Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh brings the heat to a Cold War comedy that sizzles with excitement in Apple TV+’s highly entertaining “Mayday.” Together, the disparate actors reach an altitude that lofts them into the danger zone as Branagh’s “Top Gun”-obsessed former KGB agent comes to the rescue of Reynolds’ American fighter pilot downed behind enemy lines.
What ensues involves a heavy dose of culture clash, with Reynolds’ Navy Lt. Troy “Assassin” Kelly learning through Branagh’s Nikolai Ustinov that Russian citizens are far from the evil monsters a certain Hollywood-versed president declares them to be. And, in turn, Nikolai discovers that not all American Navy pilots are akin to Tom Cruise’s Maverick. True, what the writing and directing team of John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein have concocted is the epitome of high-concept. But it’s also a lot of fun, courtesy of the engaging chemistry Reynolds and Branagh stir in what amounts to “When Deadpool met Solzhenitsyn.”
Reynolds is his usual self-deprecating, wisecracking self, uttering witty one-liners with silky smoothness. Branagh affectingly counters with an almost childlike curiosity toward a perceived foe who embodies all he’s learned to admire in American flyers from multiple viewings of a bootlegged VHS copy of “Top Gun.” It could well be the start of a beautiful friendship, but only if each can overcome their well-justified issues with trust. And do it while always staying one step ahead of a relentless Putin-like KGB agent (Marcin Dorocinski) eager to inflict some serious pain once the two fugitives are captured.
The goal is for the boys to fetch Nikolai’s estranged daughter, Anna (Maria Sakalova), en route to freedom inside the American embassy in Moscow. But there are, of course, snags along the way, obstacles that prove both hilarious and nail-biting. And it’s that constant air of danger that renders the film so gripping. It also offers Branagh the chance to become a Swiss Army knife of self-defense, employing keen martial arts skills and just plain old brutish fistacuffs to vanquish those foolish enough to cross his path. All Reynolds’ wounded Kelly needs to do is sit back and marvel, while dodging a stray bullet or two.
Nikolai also reveals an inner McGiver, using everything from a fountain pen to a giant rocket launcher to facilitate escape after escape. What holds you, though, is the unexpected heart the film wears on its sleeve. It also, thankfully, sidesteps a ton of cliché traps, such as a potential romance between the Yank and a Russian beauty who is shielding a potentially lethal secret.
The climax, on, yes, May Day, the Soviet July 4, becomes so silly that it threatens to bring down the entire picture. But by then, you’ve bought into the heightened zaniness enough to follow it to its predictable conclusion. You also admire the hutzpah of Daley and Goldstein to presumptively set up a potential sequel. And to be truthful, I wouldn’t mind one if it’s anywhere near as appetizing as this crunchy rugelach.
Movie review
Mayday
Rated: PG-13
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Kenneth Branagh, Maria Bakalova, David Morse and Marcin Dorocinski
Directors: John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein
Writers: John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein
Runtime: 110 minutes
Where: Premieres on Apple TV+ on Sept. 4
Grade: B
