Netflix original film The Gray Man dropped July 22, 2022.
#TheGrayMan cost $200m / was greenlit for a sequel / has 184.9m+ hours viewed.
rottentomatoes: 46%
metacritic: 49
imdb: 6.5
Sierra Six
Courtland Gentry is recruited into a clandestine operations branch of the CIA outside of Langley, Virginia.
“If this is about Winky’s Cantinta, I didn’t have anything to do with it. I like honey buns as much as the next guy. I’m not gonna gouge your eye out for one. You gonna write that down? What kind you got? There is no other kind. If you think I’m gonna rat somebody out for Bubblicious, you got another thing coming to you. Watermelon or not. There’s an upside to sleeping so close to your toilet. You’re gonna commute my sentence? Just like that? Who are you, my fairy godmother? No offense, I thought you’d look different. What’s the catch? Who’s ‘us?’ What makes you think I wanna do it again? Disposable? How long I gotta work for you?” — Sierra Six
“No, I’m good. I just wear what they tell me to. You’re no fly on the wall yourself. I don’t have a permit. Six, copy. Understood. Target acquired. I’m picking up collateral. There’s a kid near the mark. Stand by. Gun jammed. They never do. Probably not. If you’re Sierra, who recruited you? Where’d you train? I don’t want it. Okay, you know what? There you go. I took it, okay? I thought this’d be cleaner. He said he was Sierra. He knew who I was. I’m Sierra. There is no intel.” — Sierra Six
“Six. Gun jammed. Maybe on a secure line. Well, he was dead, so, you know, no. Who was he? Carrying? Understood. Hey. You a 42 regular?” — Sierra Six
“Yeah. We spoke. You should go without me. Well, that’s the problem, isn’t it? Hey, pal. Wanna trade?” — Sierra Six
“You Max? So it’s like ‘to the max?’ How you doing, Fitz? How’s life in retirement? I was. It got loud. Got real weird too. You know that guy that handed you your walking papers? Well, brace yourself, but, uh he might be sideways. My gut? It’s gonna be my funeral you’re going to next. Let me ask you a question. Four have a scar on his right chin? They just had me stick a fork in him. Some foreign op bullshit. You know they don’t tell me much. He gave me something they really want. No. Somewhere safe. Bangkok. You too. Hey, Fitz, I know there wasn’t some palm trees 401k plan for me, but, uh, I mean, at least tell me you guys had some kind of exit strategy. Got it. Beats being on the wrong side of the bars.” — Sierra Six
“You my ride? Response, hermit. Just a nap.” — Sierra Six
“It’s me. Emotionally? I’ve been better. They’ve been better too. You know what, Fitz? I’m trying to figure out what answer it is that you want. Hold on. You’re breaking up. Shit. Okay, there you are. Sounds like you’re in a real pickle, Fitz. What op? I’m a little unclear as to what that is. No, I’m good. I… just had some Skittles. When you say things like ‘chop your head off,’ it makes you sound untrustworthy. So, even if I had this thing, I’m sure I would give it to you. Fitz is a big boy. He knows what business he’s in. Hey, Lloyd. I immediately don’t like you.” — Sierra Six
“Is there a point to this story? You guys taught me how to kill people, not care for them. Just the two exits? Yeah. Yeah. Just, uh, 007 was taken, so… yep. I wasn’t… briefed. Won’t happen again. Hmm. Okay. Well, I’ll try and stay out of your way. Do you mind? Hmm. May I? Thanks. Nice to meet you.” — Sierra Six
“Excuse me. Is that a secure phone? Can I get that jacket? Yeah, actually. Oh, it’s, you know… it’s a guy’s name in Greek. Just a guy. You know, trying to get a rock up a hill. They made him. The gods. They were just trying to punish him, I think. Probably. Probably not. You ask a lot of questions. I’m gonna get back to work. I’ll let you know.” — Sierra Six
“You feeling better? Tend to agree. He’s a very smart man. Closest thing to family I got too. You should go to bed. Good night, Claire. Yeah. Broke a bowl. Yeah, just another Thursday. You should go to bed. Good night.” — Sierra Six
“I got dry cleaning. I want the works. Starched, cleaned, pressed, and I want it same-day service. Can you do it or what? I’m in a bit of a hurry. I’m also gonna need to get into a secure system. Cormeum electronics. Yeah, I’m looking for a pacemaker. That’s all I need. Fitzroy. Claire Fitzroy. I’m getting that. Already. Uh-huh. Non-extradition and palm trees would be nice. Let me see the passport. Like I said, I’m in a hurry. Let’s go. I’m all talked out, all right? Take the picture. Trapdoor. Unexpected. Well, now I’m upset with them.” — Sierra Six
“Come on, man. You must be Lloyd. The white pants, the trash ‘stache. It just… it leans Lloyd. I got it here somewhere. It’s just hard to see. Is that it? What size shoe are you? Looks like an 11. I don’t know. Lloyd. I’m good. It sounded like a question. How’d you find me? Not the trunk. I could really use a comfortable chair right now.” — Sierra Six
“That’s the most sleep I’ve had in 36 hours. What gives the impression they care what I think? Technically, I didn’t steal anything. Four gave it to me. Well, he gave it to me. An encrypted drive. It’s encrypted. I don’t have it. How do I know I can trust you? That’s a fair point. I sent it to Margaret Cahill, the U.K. Agency Chief, okay?” — Sierra Six
Lloyd Hansen
“Should we try again? Boring. ‘Mostly, it’s loss which teaches us about the worth of things.’ That’s Arthur Schopenhauer. He was a German philosopher, a pessimist. He saw the value in suffering. Damn it. Phones on silent when I’m working, please. Who is it? Be right back. Yeah. Still just flirting. But… he’s getting there. You watch the game on Saturday? Well, no one goes to Stanford to play football. I like to be the exception. What’s up? Gimme a name. Could be fun. The man’s got some street cred. Does the old man know about this? Well, I’m gonna need a full green light on this one. Open checkbook. I’d rather you punch me in the dick. Father-son kind of close. Get me Fitzroy’s file. We’ll find somebody he loves and squeeze. Have I ever done you wrong, Denny?”
“Hey, Fitz. Professionally maybe. Lloyd Hansen, Hansen Government Services. Aw, does it? Good. You know my work. That’ll make this next part a lot easier. Where is he? You really wanna do this? You know what makes me sad, Don? You spent your whole life basically building Sierra from the ground up, and here you are, out to pasture, burying all your old buddies. Five and a half. Something like that. Who likes cats? Let’s talk about the mess your boy made. Oh, he made a big one. And judging by your shallow breathing and puckered asshole, I can only assume you know why I’m here. I’m sure he does. But see, that the beauty of the private sector. I don’t care about reasons. My guess is you’re helping him already. So this shouldn’t put too much of a dent in your day. You know I can’t find him, ’cause his file doesn’t exist. But your file, well, that’s chock-full of nuggets, some of which might make you rethink your fussy attitude. Now, I tried to get her to smile, but, uh… you know kids. Good boy, Fitz.”
“You gonna answer it? Well, let’s hope it’s good news. Speakerphone.”
“Hey, sunshine. Lloyd Hansen here. I’m the one running this op. The one where I get exactly what I want. Okay, that’s fair. Well, why don’t you come on in, and we can chat? My assistant will get lunch. You like sushi? Tell you what. Why don’t we skip lunch, you can give me the asset you stole, and I won’t have to chop your head off? Oh, I think you would. See, your old COS here has drawn way outside the lines. Headquarters needs a scapegoat, and his neck is just about the right size. Yeah? Well, I’m glad we’re on the same page. Looks like you need a new phone. Hmm. Don’t say ‘preternatural’ to me. It’s an asshole word. A child that’s about to put a hit so big on your boy’s head that even his most loyal allies won’t hesitate to drop a dime. Every grade-A wet team from here to Reykjavik will be vying for the prestige of killing the infamous Sierra Six. I’ll dig up every safe house he’s ever stayed in. I’ll unearth every man or woman he’s ever slept with. Your boy won’t be able to walk ten feet without getting his head blown off. I can kill anybody. Well, we’ll see.”
“You got a full bar on this thing? Who’s the closest to him?”
“We need to ground in Vienna. So declare an emergency. How do you feel about your license? Who’s up for some Tafelspitz?”
“Where’s the target? Hey, sunshine. What gave it away? Where’s the drive? Ballsy. Nice try, pumpkin. Why? You want my foot in your ass? Ah, shit! Mother–“
“Suzanne! Long time. If I’m honest, I like your old haircut. Where you didn’t look like a bitch. To do your job because you couldn’t. Can someone get me a Vicodin, please? Where I want him. On the run, scared shitless. I am your only prayer of getting that drive back because I can do everything the agency can’t. You know all those rules you guys are always trying to work your way around? They don’t mean dick to me. So unless you want our names spilled across every news alert on every phone in every pocket on Earth, shut up and go sit in the corner. Oh. How about that? Forget about the Vicodin. ‘Cause I got shot in the ass, Suzanne!”
Donald Fitzroy
“It’s not about Winky’s Cantina. I’m not gonna write anything down. You want some gum? ‘Bubblicious Watermelon Wave.’ What do you say? ‘Courtland Gentry. Born 1980.’ ‘Incarcerated 1995.’ ‘Eligible for parole in 2031.’ I get it. You’re glib. Well, I’m just gonna cut to the chase. My name is Donald Fitzroy, and I’m here to commute your sentence. Yes. When I get out of this chair and walk out of this prison, you’ll walk with me. I may be. We’ll see. You work for us. The CIA. We’re gonna train you to kill bad guys. And since you’ve already killed one, it shouldn’t be too difficult. You seem like the type. You’d be part of an elite unit, the Sierra program. You would exist in the gray. I’ve studied your case. I know why you pulled that trigger. I would have done the same thing myself. Now, I’m here to help you become a value-add instead of a value lost. So why don’t you take all the pain or whatever the hell got you here, turn it around, and make it useful? Let’s just say you’d be indefinitely useful.”
“Max’s Fireplace and Barbecue. There is no Max. Yeah. Because if something went wrong, I couldn’t blame Max. It’s good to hear from you, kid. I’m headed to a funeral. Putting a friend in the ground. I’m getting to that age, you know? You working? Got loud? Yeah, Carmichael. I’m shocked. What’s your gut? Give me an hour to find a local extraction team. Get mobile. You may have to hustle. Yeah. Pretense? On person? Good boy. Well, I’ll do some checking. I still have friends up the food chain. Where are ya? There’s an airfield near Chiang Mai. Get to it. Watch your back. We never got that far, kid. And now, probably not. I’m sorry. I’ll be in touch.”
“I know you? Rings a bell. Where is who? Do what? Your small hands? Remind me, Hansen, how long did you last at the agency? Six months? Bad ethics, zero impulse control, unsanctioned torture. So how’s the private sector treating ya? Does it pay as well as they say? Or do you spend most of your time strangling cats? I like cats. He doesn’t make messes. He has his reasons.”
“You know the individual you’re escorting? I want him terminated. Keep the body and everything he has on his person. Just make it painless, you understand?”
“Hello. Where are you? The extraction team? Are you okay? You hurt? They leveraged me, kid. They have my niece. You hear me? Hello? Hello? Looks like you overplayed your hand. Let me give you a word of advice, Lloyd. They say that life in its most unadorned expression is a battle of wills. Six’s will is preteratural compared to yours. You’re a child. And that, Don, is exactly what bad ethics and zero impulse control will get you. Maybe not anybody.”
“Okay. I have a niece that I’m raising. I know what line of work I’m in. I want the kid to have a normal life, and Margaret’s helped me give her one. Bunch of idiots. My brother and his wife died about three years ago, and to top it off, Claire was born with a heart condition. Last month we put in a pacemaker, and since then, she’s been in and out of Mount St. Mary’s.”
“Hey, sweetheart. I know, honey. I’m sorry.”
Dani Miranda
“Do you need anything? Nice suit. Subtle. It’s not that kind of party. Be advised, he’s not alone. Six, was that you? Six. Very discreet. It wasn’t. We’re Romeo. That wasn’t in the mission folder. Maybe he had access to stolen intel. It’s ours now, agent. Agent. I heard you. I just chose to ignore you.”
“Wheels up in give. Carmichael’s been calling. You sure you wanna do that? What happened with the target, Six? Tell me what I don’t know.”
“Speaking. Yeah. Hard to miss. I’m supposed to be in Singapore.”
“That’s called harassment. When he didn’t show at the exfil. Six did his job until he didn’t. I know. I prepped it. No. I never even met Six until I landed in Bangkok. And no one said anything about a retrieval. What’s the asset? No. Reckless mystery men you guys send in when you can’t officially send anyone else. Remove yourself from my personal space. Please. I wanna talk to my COS.”
“Who’s this lunatic? Let’s go. Let’s go. You make a lot of noise. Hey. Open it. Get in.”
“You look like shit. They pulled me from field duty. They think I’m into whatever you’re into. You’re gonna tell them I’m not. This is my career, you understand? You’re just an asset, but it’s my career, my reputation. What did you steal? Then why didn’t you give it to HQ? What did he give you? What’s on it? I wanna see it. Where is it? Because I just saved your life.”
Denny Carmichael
“Six, this is Denny Carmichael, your center chief. Our target, code name ‘Dining Car,’ is selling information that could severely compromise national security. We need him eliminated before the transaction is complete. Understood? Please explain to me why I’m talking to a Sierra agent instead of somebody in our circle of trust. Target imminent. Dining Car has security. Stay the plan. He’s coming up on you now, Six. He’s almost to you. Execute. Six, why am I not hearing anything. You’re cleared for collateral. Go loud. We have a very small window to take out a very bad dude. Go loud, Six. Do not stand by.”
“This is why I wanted the Sierra program made extinct. I want nothing left from that old regime. Get out. Get out. Wanna explain whatever that was? That doesn’t qualify as an explanation. I need a status report. Insecure line. Did the target say anything to you? What about pocket litter? Did you get anything off his body? Six, did he have anything on his person that you now have that you’d like to give to me? A bad guy. Bad shit. Last change, Six.”
“Al Capone booth. I can see everything from here. Son of a– he’s got it. Yes, necessarily. That knuckle-dragger sweated me on the phone. He knows. So… never should have touched Fitzroy’s guys. They’re all criminals. What we should have done from the start. You had your shot. You say that like it’s a bad thing. He has methods. So sit on him. The guy has a higher kill count than the entire Mossad. I don’t need Lloyd stable. I need him effective.”
“He talk yet? I turned it off at halftime. They ran us off the field. You did. Hand the jumper cables to somebody else. I got an urgent locate and destroy. Sierra Six. He got his hands on some compromising information the kind that could put us all in a cold, dark place. So, get it back. Make him gone. Not yet. Heads would roll. Any means necessary. And, Lloyd, I’m sending Suzanne to assist. All right, ladies, focus. Six is trained to be a ghost. How do we find him? How close were he and Fitzroy? Do me right, Lloyd. Don’t be a brat. He’s gonna help clean up your mess. I’m the boss. And you couldn’t get it back. You know, the last person that pissed off the old man ended up floating in the Potomac. If you like breathing, you might wanna fix this.”
“Agent Miranda? Denny Carmichael. See that plane across the way? Get on it. You’re meeting me in Berlin. Not anymore. See you in Berlin.”
“They don’t usually come this attractive. Tell me, what was your first clue Sierra Six was gonna break procedure? Not when he chased the target across a flotilla? He intentionally blew an op that was prepared to be executed at distance. And that whole time, you had no reason to believe he had another agenda beside the op? Let’s talk life goals, officer. I went from Harvard, to analysis, to the DO’s desk in eight years. It’s never been done before. I did it. I did it by not allowing the weakness of others to drag me down. Sierra Six stole an asset of considerable to the agency. If you had any idea this was coming and you withheld it, your life goals, should you have any, would suffer incalculable damage. Do you know where Six is? Open that file. In a career spanning two decades, that’s everything we have on your partner Six. What do you know about the Sierra program? The gray men. Your predecessor’s idea. He founded a program to recruit hardened criminals, commuting their sentences in exchange for a lifelong commitment to the agency. Assets were chosen for their skill set, lack of family, and plausible deniability. Identities permanently destroyed. Nameless assassins with limited morality. I mean, what could possibly go wrong, right? Every single Sierra flamed out. All dead or back in prison. Six is the last of the dirty half dozen, and he is 100% conforming to pattern. He hurts people because that’s who he is. That’s who you’re protecting. Officer, I have reason to believe you’re not being truthful in this debrief. And as such, I must recommend you be suspended from field duty. I already did. She’s lost confidence in you. Am I jarring your memory yet? Stick around the building. The boys aren’t done searching your apartment yet.”
Suzanne Brewer
“There was no time to get one of ours over there. Six was in the region, and he happens to be historically good at the job.”
“These things take time, Denny. There are politics to unravel. What?”
“Why is it always the last stall? He blew off his exfil. Not necessarily. You through? What do you wanna do? No, no, absolutely not. Lloyd Hansen is a sociopath. It’s a dangerous thing. Sociopathic methods.”
“I will gladly punch you in the dick, Lloyd. Denny, that man is nothing but wrong. So now I’m the scapegoat? You were the one who lost the asset in the first place.”
“Is that Donald Fitzroy? What the hell are you doing? We did not give you permission to kidnap former CIA personnel and their family members. You’ve been hired by the agency to recover– so where is Six? In the wind? This is ten years of my work on the line here, Lloyd– why are you walking like that?”
Margaret Cahill
“Six. Come. Fitz, tell him why he’s here. Any number of nefarious assholes would like to see him and his family dead. Someone in the DC office has accidentally leaked Fitz’s address in Hong Kong. Indeed, we’ve asked for agency security, but for some curious reason, Denny Carmichael won’t supply it. Fitz is starting a mission in Brazil tomorrow, which means you are going to babysit. Poor thing got dealt a brutal hand. You don’t have to care. Just keep her alive.”
Claire Fitzroy
“Six is an odd name. Are you chewing gum? We don’t chew gum in this house. Sure.”
“Looking for your jacket? Looks like I sat on it. Just got the high score. I had a lot of time to practice after the operation. They made me stay in bed. ‘How long they make you stay in bed for?’ Quite a long time. Several weeks, actually. ‘Oh, hope you’re okay.’ Better now, Six. Thanks for asking. How’s your time been here? Enjoying the grounds? ‘Oh, they’re lovely.’ ‘I like to walk in circles and stare at my shoes.’ Like your tattoo. Where’d you get it? Prison? I’m shocked. What’s it mean, the writing? What guy? Why? Who made him? Did they need a rock? Did he deserve it? Did he like it? So why’d he do it? You’re quite the conversationalist. Hey. Does he ever get to the top of the hill?”
“Mr. Six. Something’s wrong.”
“Just another Thursday. Donald says this is the best medicine, ice cream. Only family I got. Maybe that kind of makes us family. Night, robot. Can I play a record? Is everything okay? You sure you’re all right? Night.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Nanny
“Claire, dear. This is Six. He’ll be looking after the house while Donald is away. Yes, that’s right.”
“Claire’s asleep. I’m going out for a bite.”
“Thank you. I’ll let him know.”
“All right, little one. You heard the number. Let’s go. Just one. And don’t forget to brush your teeth. I’ll take care of the cleanup, because you’ve had a very long day. All right.”
Laszlo Sosa
“That’s a very expensive laundry list. You seem like a man who wants his shirts done right. Sure. You really are the, uh, full buffet, aren’t you? I do passports over there. And, uh, well, let’s do your… let’s do this thing first. You can sit. You can sit here. Where are you going? It’s… what’s… what’s the secure system? Cormeum… electronics, uh… it’s medical supplies. Don’t… don’t touch that door. I can get you a pacemaker. Name? This will be a minute. I think you should go get yourself cleaned up before we take your pictures. Unless bloody and beaten is the kind of look you’re going for. Voila. Oh, yeah. With this setup, I could read the Pope’s diary if I wanted to. Which I don’t. Uh, what, um, great nation would you like to hail from? Denmark, New Zealand, Japan? You want Ecuador. Have you been there? They have this, uh, this drink there. It’s called the, uh, the pinonilo. Pinollilo. And it’s… they serve it with, uh, with honey. Yeah. With a very unselfish… there you are… splash of honey. And it’s, uh… it’s a must. You cleaned up very well. Uh, you can stand over there. Uh, you need an alias. And it has to be something very, very easy to forget. You can step on the rug. Something like, you know, John, Joe. Juan Pablo is also a very common name in Ecuador. It has to… it has to disappear into the wash of the hippocampus. Right between lunch and dinner. Yeah. Sure. Unless the desired response is emotion. Like, you know, hope, anger, fear. Can you give a step towards me, please? One step. Yes, that’s good. The only problem with that sort of alias is that emotional memory has staying power. You know all about notoriety, don’t you? All right. Someone is very upset with you, man. A five and seven zeros’ worth. Unh-unh. Hey! Smile. I would have opened it. Where’s my money?”
Six’s Father
“I’m teaching you to fight through it. Fight through the fear. Fight through the pain. You master that, and you’ll never lose again, son. Cover that up, by the way. We don’t need your mom seeing that.”
CIA
“Subject on approach. I have eyes on Dining Car.”
Langley Dispatch
“Six, you copy? Six. Sir, I have him.”
Crowd
“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two one.”
Mercenary 1
“Who’s the extract? Heads up.”
Mercenary 2
“You know better than to ask. Fitzroy really likes this guy or really wants him the hell out of Asia. Military-aged male, eleven o’clock. Identity challenge. Heathen. Need anything? Load ’em up.”
“Yeah. Mm-hmm. Come again? Roger that.”
Pilot
“We’ve had a loss of pressure in the cabin. Put on emergency oxygen masks. Repeat. Put on emergency oxygen masks.”
Pilot 2
“We haven’t filed a flight plan. They’ll never clear us. Mayday. Mayday. Mayday, this is November Three…”
Pilot 3
“There are weapons on board. I’ll lose my license. We have filed an alternate near Budapest. Best I can do is call them.”
Mercenary 3
“They found him. We are.”
Mercenary 4
“He got caught in the well.”
Nurse
“Start a bag…”
Doctor
“She’s stabilized. Tell Donald there was a programming glitch. We were able to repair it, non-invasive. The remote system flagged it ten minutes before he pulled up. We can keep track of her pacemaker from just about anywhere. Donald.”
Private Flight
“Yes, sir.”
Lloyd’s prisoner
“No.”
Lloyd’s employee
“It’s yours. The chief.”
Dawson
“It’s Dawson. I need Carmichael. No joy. I repeat, no joy.”
“Wheels up in two. Okay, hold on. It’s the chief. For you.”
Bangkok
“One wristwatch. R1, smartphone. Money clip, lighter, pen. SSE, complete.”
Bangkok 2
“Wristwatch. R1, smartphone. L1, money clip, pen, lighter.”
Cyber Cafe
“Hey, take the shot. Take the shot!”
Buyer
“My friend. You made it. Future friends, future ex-wives. Relax. Safer this way… yep. Did you bring it? Let’s talk price. Where are you going?”
Sierra Four
“Who are all these people? Get rid of them. Don’t tell me to relax. I want my money. So just transfer it and get it done. Do you understand the risk I’ve taken by coming here? You have no idea of the kind of people you’re gonna have to deal with, and they are gonna come for this. Nothing stops them. They can get to anyone, anywhere. Aww, shit. Let’s move out. Deal’s off. You know I know who you are. You’re Sierra Six. They didn’t tell you who I am, did they? I’m Sierra Four. They sent you to kill one of your own. But that’s probably not gonna make you walk away, is it? Fitzroy. Same as you. Dark site. Tel Aviv. I got all the answers ’cause I’m telling the truth. They’re not. Denny Carmichael is a piece of shit. That’s why I’m sitting here in my own blood. You’re probably next. Hey. Take this and bring the bastard down. You trust Carmichael? Just… take it. Please. You give ’em hell, Six.”
