Mayday Review — Old-school action. New-school swagger.
Mayday Review: Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh Turn a Cold War Thriller Into One Hell of a Ride
Mayday is the kind of movie that knows exactly why audiences fell in love with '80s action cinema — and, more importantly, knows how to have fun with it. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley have come a remarkably long way from the disastrous Vacation reboot that marked their directorial debut. With Game Night and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, the filmmaking duo demonstrated an unusual ability to combine sharp comedy, inventive visual storytelling and genuine affection for genre filmmaking. Mayday takes those strengths and throws them into a Cold War adventure starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh. The result is a slick, surprisingly inventive, and enormously entertaining action-comedy that feels nostalgic without becoming trapped by nostalgia.
Story: Top Gun Meets Lethal Weapon Behind Enemy Lines
Set in 1987, Mayday follows U.S. Navy fighter pilot Lieutenant Troy "Assassin" Kelly (Ryan Reynolds), a cocky, confident airman recruited for a classified mission over Soviet Russia. Unsurprisingly, the mission goes catastrophically wrong, leaving Troy stranded behind enemy lines after a brutal crash landing. His unlikely savior is Nikolai Ustinov (Kenneth Branagh), a former KGB operative with an unusual obsession with American pop culture and a burning desire to defect to the United States. What begins as a desperate survival arrangement gradually transforms into an unlikely friendship as the pair attempt to escape Soviet territory while the KGB closes in.
The setup immediately recalls Top Gun, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon and even Raiders of the Lost Ark, but Mayday isn't simply copying those movies. Goldstein and Daley use the familiar ingredients as building blocks for their own energetic cocktail. The film's biggest surprise is its refusal to reduce the Cold War to the simplistic good-guys-versus-bad-guys formula that dominated so much '80s action cinema. Instead, its characters are treated as individuals with conflicting loyalties, ambitions, and personal motivations, giving the otherwise outrageous adventure considerably more substance than expected.
Performances: Branagh Steals the Spotlight
Ryan Reynolds is perfectly cast as Troy, but what makes his performance particularly effective is how restrained it is. Reynolds' trademark sarcasm remains intact, yet he isn't allowed to completely overwhelm the character with one-liners. Instead, Troy becomes the comparatively straight-faced half of the partnership, allowing Kenneth Branagh's gloriously eccentric Nikolai to take center stage.
And Branagh absolutely devours the role. Nikolai is simultaneously funny, charming, unpredictable and dangerous, and Branagh throws himself into every aspect of the character. The former KGB officer's fascination with American culture gives him plenty of comedic material, but the performance never turns him into a disposable caricature. Better still, Branagh proves to be a surprisingly convincing action star. His fight scenes have an almost John Wick-like efficiency, and watching him dismantle Soviet goons with brutal precision becomes one of the movie's unexpected pleasures.
The chemistry between Reynolds and Branagh is arguably the film's secret weapon. Their personalities could not be more different, yet their interactions feel natural rather than manufactured. Reynolds plays the exasperated American while Branagh gleefully embraces Nikolai's eccentricity, creating a buddy-movie dynamic that carries the film through its weaker moments.
Action & Technicalities: Practicality Makes the Difference
Goldstein and Daley once again demonstrate that they have an exceptional eye for visual storytelling. Cinematographer Barry Peterson gives Mayday a polished, cinematic appearance, while the filmmakers repeatedly find creative ways to stage their action sequences. Rather than relying exclusively on enormous digital spectacle, the movie frequently puts its characters directly into physical environments where geography and choreography matter.
The hand-to-hand combat is particularly effective because it largely embraces practical filmmaking. A chaotic bar fight delivers exactly the kind of bruising, old-school spectacle the movie is aiming for, while an elaborate train sequence escalates the tension as Troy and Nikolai fight and evade soldiers across multiple carriages. There are moments when the CGI becomes noticeable, but those shortcomings are relatively minor because the movie's strongest sequences are grounded in tangible physical action.
The filmmakers' visual ingenuity is another major asset. Their previous work already demonstrated an appetite for ambitious compositions, and Mayday continues that tradition with carefully designed action geography and shots that make viewers wonder how certain sequences were pulled off. It gives the movie a tactile quality that many modern action films desperately lack.
Comedy: The Buddy-Movie Formula Still Works
The comedy succeeds primarily because it comes from character rather than an endless barrage of jokes. Reynolds doesn't need to dominate every scene with sarcasm because Branagh's Nikolai provides a wonderfully eccentric counterbalance. Their relationship gradually becomes more entertaining as the two men begin to understand each other.
The film's affection for '80s cinema also provides plenty of opportunities for playful references, but Mayday generally understands that homage works best when it serves the story. It doesn't simply recreate the decade; it captures the attitude of the era — oversized personalities, practical action, unapologetic adventure, and heroes who actually have to fight their way out of trouble.
Analysis: Nostalgia With Something to Say
What elevates Mayday above a disposable action-comedy is its approach to the Cold War. The film could easily have turned Soviet Russia into a faceless villainous backdrop, but instead it recognizes the absurdity of viewing an entire nation through a single political lens. Troy's relationship with Nikolai gradually challenges his assumptions. At the same time, characters such as Maria Bakalova's Russian citizen and Marcin Dorociński's government official demonstrate that motivations aren't always as simple as national allegiance.
That thematic layer never overwhelms the entertainment value, which is exactly the right choice. Mayday isn't pretending to be a serious geopolitical drama. Its commentary exists to add texture to an adventure movie, not to turn it into a lecture. The result is a surprisingly human story about two men from opposite sides of a geopolitical conflict discovering that their similarities matter more than the flags they represent.
What Works
✅ Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh's chemistry
✅ Kenneth Branagh's unexpectedly fantastic action performance
✅ A genuinely entertaining buddy-movie dynamic
✅ Inventive and well-choreographed action sequences
✅ Strong practical fight choreography
✅ Excellent cinematography from Barry Peterson
✅ The '80s aesthetic without excessive reliance on nostalgia
✅ A more nuanced approach to the Cold War
✅ Sharp visual storytelling from Goldstein and Daley
✅ A consistently entertaining mix of comedy, action and adventure
What Doesn't
❌ A handful of CGI-heavy moments don't blend perfectly with the practical action
❌ Some supporting characters could have benefited from more screen time
❌ The familiar '80s influences occasionally become a little too obvious
❌ The screenplay isn't quite as surprising as its excellent execution
❌ Some of the political nuance could have been explored more deeply
❌ Viewers expecting a straight-up Ryan Reynolds action vehicle may find Branagh unexpectedly stealing the movie
Final Verdict
Mayday is an absolute blast. It doesn't reinvent the action-comedy genre, and it doesn't need to. Goldstein and Daley understand that the secret to making an effective throwback isn't simply recreating old movies — it's understanding what made those movies so damn entertaining in the first place.
With Reynolds and Branagh firing on all cylinders, inventive action, strong practical choreography, gorgeous cinematography, and just enough thematic substance beneath the explosions, Mayday feels like a movie made by filmmakers who genuinely love movies. It is nostalgic without being cynical, ridiculous without being stupid, and polished without losing the physicality that made classic action films so memorable.
If this is what Goldstein and Daley are bringing to their next big franchise assignment, the future of their filmmaking partnership looks very, very bright.