Guy Ritchie & Henry Cavill's New R-Rated Action Thriller In The Grey Sets A Rotten Tomatoes Record

Guy Ritchie and Henry Cavill are back together for a new action-packed movie, even if it's not exactly winning over critics.

The dynamic duo launched their collaboration in 2015 with a spy movie based on the 1964 MGM series, A Man From U.N.C.L.E. Cavill portrayed the dashing American agent Napoleon Solo, taking over the reins from Robert Vaughn. Unfortunately, the film became a $110 million box office disappointment, but it has slowly gained interest thanks to streaming. However, the filmmaker and star didn't reunite for another nine years with the WWII movie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

Ritchie and Cavill collaborated on their third movie together, In the Grey, which thankfully had a shorter gap between movies. Unfortunately, the critical reception is not as strong as their past projects. Based on 23 reviews, In the Grey holds a 55% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is currently their lowest-ranked project together since starting in 2015. However, the bright side is that audiences have reacted more favorably to the action-packed flick, which holds 84%.

Several critics argue that In the Grey is not exactly Ritchie's best work since the movie is very generic for its Mission Impossible-esque premise. In fact, some expressed that it's his weakest movie because of the tedious pacing, formulaic plot, and weak character development. Although it's not flawless, Ritchie's sharp editing for the action-packed sequences was enough to engage audiences for a classic heist flick, alongside the performances from Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Eiza González.

In ScreenRant's review of In the Grey, Josh Bate credits Ritchie's high-octane movie for "fully embracing the fast-talking, character-driven style that defined many of his earlier films." As iterated by other critics, the thriller benefits from the "star-powered cast" who "brings plenty of charm."

González is the standout since she "commands attention while on screen" and "perfects this type of role and gives a performance that ties the whole movie together." Although In the Grey is "predictable" and "balance between sharp dialogue, engaging storytelling, and action isn’t quite right," it's still entertaining to earn a 7 out of 10 stars.

In the Grey follows a high-stakes extraction mission when lawyer Rachel Wild (González) is tasked with retrieving a $1 billion debt from a tyrannical Manny Salazar. Following an ultimate betrayal from her employer, extraction specialist Bronco (Gyllenhaal) and Sid (Cavill) set up a plan to rescue her.

Cavill is not the only star in the cast to have a history with Ritchie. Gyllenhaal previously worked with the director on the 2023 survival movie, Guy Ritchie's The Covenant, which is one of his most well-received projects with moviegoers, standing at a 98% audience score. On the other hand, González also worked with Cavill and Ritchie in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and Apple TV's The Fountain of Youth.

Despite the action thriller being filmed three years ago, In the Grey faced some release and distribution struggles. After an initial 2025 schedule, the film was delayed to April 2026. Although Lionsgate had the distribution rights, the studio eventually pulled the movie as it wouldn't meet the original deadline on time, and eventually forfeited it. Black Bear Pictures became the new American distributor and had it scheduled for May 2026.

Although In the Grey has demonstrated strong audience reception, the box office is projected for a $3–4 million opening. This comes as the thriller opens on the same weekend as Blumhouse's Obsession, The Wizard of Kremlin, and Amazon's Is God Is.

Alongside the main trio, In the Grey also features Kristofer Hivju, Fisher Stevens, and Rosamund Pike. Alongside directing duties, Ritchie wrote the story and produced the film, alongside John Friedberg, Dave Caplan, and Ivan Atkinson.

In the Grey is now playing in theaters.