Hollywood’s forgotten action returns in Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh’s 'Mayday'

Shot like a throwback and paced to move, Mayday drops U.S. Navy pilot Troy “Assassin” Kelly (Ryan Reynolds ) into the worst kind of trouble: stranded behind enemy lines after a covert op in Soviet territory goes sideways. He’s found by Nikolai Ustinov (Kenneth Branagh), a former KGB officer holed up in the Russian wilderness — the kind of man who should be Troy’s nightmare. Instead, the encounter flips the movie on its head, turning a survival scrape into a two-hander about unlikely allies on the run from the KGB.

The hook is how quickly “enemy” becomes “accomplice.” Nik isn’t a mustache-twirler; he’s a Russified sponge for American pop culture, rhapsodizing about Top Gun, U.S. music and a life he imagines across the Iron Curtain. That tilt not only fuels the comedy — it reframes the whole chase. Troy’s hard-edged view of the Soviet machine clashes with Nik’s starry-eyed America; both men learn their mental snapshots are propaganda-tinged and incomplete.

Reynolds and Branagh click

Reynolds leans into his comfort zone — the quick jabs, the skeptical smirk — but plays Troy a notch more grounded than his quip-machine personas. The difference is Branagh. As Nik, he’s warm without being goofy, a character that could have been a cartoon Russian but isn’t. His delight in everything American does the comic lifting, while his unexpected physicality keeps it from floating away.

Kenneth Branagh, 65, dives into the bruising action and looks like he’s enjoying every minute.

That energy matters because the movie’s heart is the pairing, and the two actors make the odd-couple engine hum. The directors, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, give them room to bicker, bond and improvise a plan as bullets and loyalties fly.

Back-to-basics action

Stylistically, Mayday keeps it simple: clear stakes, clean geography and set pieces that don’t need a flowchart. You get aerial clashes, vehicle chases and a couple of nasty, close-quarters beatdowns. It’s not always as glossy as a mega-budget theatrical release, but it’s zippy and tactile, and the ’80s-flavored needle drops do exactly what they’re supposed to — goose the momentum.

Crucially, the film brushes up against politics without drowning in them. It’s more interested in how two people carry the stories their governments tell than in arguing any thesis, so it makes its point and moves — back to the chase.

• Ryan Reynolds — Troy “Assassin” Kelly, a U.S. Navy pilot stranded behind enemy lines
• Kenneth Branagh — Nikolai Ustinov, a former KGB officer with a soft spot for American pop culture
• Directed by — Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley
• Platform — Apple TV+

Where it stumbles

The comfort-food formula does show. Some beats feel familiar, and the supporting players barely register. Visually, the movie’s a touch too tidy to fully sell the gritty ’80s vibe it’s nodding to, even as the soundtrack leans into that era. But the chemistry covers a lot of ground — enough that the Reynolds/Branagh duo feels sequel- ready, whether the next mission hits the big screen or another streamer slot.

Mayday premieres exclusively on Apple TV+ on September 4.