The Russo brothers-directed the Netflix original movie has been critically panned, there's no denying just how much of a fun popcorn flick it is. It's perfect for anyone who wants to switch off their brain and enjoy a thrilling two-hour action movie, and that's obvious with its dialogue.
At certain points in the movie, it seems like it's simply a vessel for the Russo brothers' beloved one-liners. The directing duo has crammed as many one-liners as they can think of into the film, and while they don't all land, some of them are hilarious, and one will actually be more relevant in years' time.
"007 Was Taken."
Six
Being self-aware is a popular trend in Hollywood right now, and characters often criticize the movies they're in before critics get the chance. Whether it's Deadpool picking holes in the superhero genre at large, almost every franchise has become meta to some extent, and The Gray Man is no different.
When Claire Fitzroy asks Six (Ryan Gosling) what the deal is with his name being taken, the superassassin responds with the James Bond-referencing one-liner. It's a great nod to the beloved franchise while noting that the British spy movies were clearly a huge influence. But hopefully The Gray Man 2 will be more Quantum of Solace.
"Extra Ten Million To The First Guy To Put A Bullet In This Ken Doll's Brain."
Lloyd Hansen
After wrapping up his tenure as Captain America in the MCU, Chris Evans has had some fun with his movie choices, surprisingly preferring villainous roles. He played Ransom in Some think Evans' acting is bad in the movie, but it's intentionally hilariously theatrical, and one of the best examples of that is the way he delivers Lloyd's copious amounts of one-liners.
However, once again, what makes this line so great is how meta it is. The line is clearly referring to how Gosling is playing Ken in the Barbie movie, which is scheduled for release summer of next year. It's one of those lines that will stand the test of time, as viewers continue two and two together years down the line after Barbie's release.
"You Make A Lot Of Noise."
Dani Miranda
Dani Miranda says this as a response to Six when he asks her how she found him. And it's completely true that it's impossible for any CIA agent not to find him given that he's blowing up planes, destroying whole cities, and has a multi-million-dollar hit on his head.
However, what makes the line so hilariously ridiculous is that Dani is no different herself. When the character reunites with Six, she aids him every step of the way. And, in the final act, Dani is sprinting whilst carrying a rocket launcher, which is already nonsensical, and carelessly shooting it at a centuries-old building, but that's what makes the movie such stupid fun.
"Can I Comply Over There?"
Six
Another CIA operative, Suzanne Brewer, who will have a much larger role in the sequel, surprisingly shoots Six after he takes down Lloyd. However, it wasn't with the intention of killing him and she explains, "Relax, you'll live. I just need you compliant."
This is at the most inconvenient place, as Six is standing in the middle of a water fountain, and, with a gun still pointing at him, he asks permission to get comfortable. It's another example of the Russo brothers' unapologetic overuse of one-liners, as the last thing anybody would do immediately after being shot in the stomach is worry about where they're about to fall. And Gosling's delivery of the line makes it that much funnier.
"Who Are You, My Fairy Godmother? No Offense, I Thought You'd Look Different."
Six
In the opening scene where Donald Fitzroy and Six first meet and Fitzroy is trying to recruit him and get him out of prison, Six asks the above question and it's brilliantly delivered so monotonously. The movie is clear from the start about what kind of film it's trying to be, as the first scene alone is full of instant-classic quotes.
Not only does Six joke about Fitzroy being his Fairy Godmother, but there's a back and forth about nothing other than bubblegum, naturally. And, at one point, Fitzroy even tells Six, "We're going to train you to kill bad guys." The scene is a treasure trove of typically ridiculous action movie quotes.
"This Will Be Taught In Schools As The Primary Example Of Exactly What Not To Do In Asset Retrieval."
Suzanne Brewer
The Russos won't be allowed back to Prague, or so they think after closing down the city for two weeks to shoot the movie's best action sequence. And some might think the directors are joking, they're clearly being serious, as the film shows the city being completely destroyed in an epic and unnecessarily over-the-top gunfight.
After Lloyd sends dozens of agents into the plaza despite Suzanna telling him not to, she screams the above quote. The line is ironic given that Heat is one of the movie's biggest influences, and the epic gunfight in the 1995 movie is so realistic that, according to Task and Purpose, is taught to new Marine recruits.
"I Immediately Don't Like You."
Six
Given that the film has gotten panned by critics but is being enjoyed by so many households, The Gray Man has almost reached "so bad it's good" status. And many of the lines of dialogue qualify for that description too.
The movie's biggest selling point is how it pits two of the biggest actors working today against each other in a Heat-like way. But the film doesn't exactly have the riveting dialogue that Heat does. Instead, this rivalry's conversations include corny lines like "I immediately don't like you," That's more like what one best friend would say to the other when they're losing at a video game than something a mass murderer would say to another.
"Aside From Your Childish Sense Of Morality And Eight-Dollar Haircut, We Have A Lot In Common."
Lloyd Hansen
Chris Evans and the Russos make a great team, as the filmmaking duo directed the actor in four MCU movies. And based on this movie, it seems like the directors are responsible for Captain America's one-liners like "That's America's ass." When it comes to hurling insults at each other, Lloyd's are marginally consistently better than Six's. Lloyd is like a human one-liner generator, and this is one of his best efforts.
The villain notes that Lloyd is like the Joker to Six's Batman, but he still manages to criticize Six's haircut while doing so. However, Lloyd has no room to criticize anyone's hair when he has a mustache like that. But that might have been a conscious choice by writer Joe Russo, and it just goes to show how delusional Lloyd really is.
"The White Pants. The Trash Stache. It Leans Lloyd."
Six
While some of Six's earliest digs at Lloyd during their first altercation are so bad they're funny, he still gets a few good verbal punches in. As the film sees two A-listers face-off, this one-liner is the closest it gets to delivering on the promise of being a fun banter-filled crime caper. Six and Lloyd only actually have two scenes together, and both of them are pretty brief. But, of all their on-screen time together, this is the funniest line, even if anyone called Lloyd does find it offensive.
The quote is also the first (and only) time that anyone draws attention to Lloyd's grotesque mustache, which is surprising given how far into the film this quote is. However, Six does forget to mention Lloyd's odd choice to forgo socks, which would have fit in nicely between "white pants" and "the trash stache."
"You A 42 Regular?"
Six
This isn't an insult, a criticism of any character's choice, or even a meta-joke. Instead, it's a brilliant line that audiences don't completely understand until the next scene. While trying to stay undercover in Bangkok, Six asks a gamer in a tracksuit the above question. It then jump cuts to Six in an arcade wearing the same tracksuit.
The line is made even better when it becomes a running gag, as Six asks a random henchman the same question before the film again jump cuts to him wearing the henchman's outfit. That gag will no doubt continue in the sequel too, which Netflix has just officially confirmed with Gosling returning.
