Mayday Review: Ryan Reynolds Cold War Comedy Fails to Recreate 80s Magic
Apple TV+'s new Cold War buddy comedy Mayday, starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, attempts to revive 1980s action nostalgia but crashes due to weak chemistry, recycled jokes, and a lack of genuine action.
The 1980s were a decade defined by shoulder pads, massive hairspray-laden hair, and a cinematic obsession with the Cold War. Hollywood blockbusters like Red Dawn (1984), Rambo III (1988), and Rocky IV (1985) projected Western anxieties about the Soviet Union onto the silver screen. Another classic, Top Gun (1986), elevated this geopolitical rivalry into a high-octane spectacle of aerial dogfights, sweat-glistening pilots, and peak Tom Cruise.
Apple TV+'s new release, Mayday, directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, attempts to pay homage to this specific era of action cinema. However, despite its nostalgic premise, the film struggles to get off the ground.
A Cold War Premise on Thin Ice
Set in 1987, Mayday introduces us to Troy "Assassin" Kelly (Ryan Reynolds), a cocky US Navy pilot. His exceptional skills land him a highly classified espionage mission over Soviet airspace. Leaving behind his terminally ill father, Troy embarks on the flight, only to be shot down and crash-land deep within hostile territory.
Stranded in the freezing wilderness, he crosses paths with Nikolai Ustinov (Kenneth Branagh), a reclusive former KGB agent who harbors a secret admiration for American pop culture and Top Gun. Together, this unlikely duo must evade the Red Army and the KGB to smuggle Troy back across enemy lines.
On paper, this setup has all the ingredients of a classic 1980s buddy-cop action comedy, reminiscent of films like Red Heat (1988). Unfortunately, the execution falls flat.
Missing Chemistry and Recycled Jokes
For a buddy comedy to succeed, the chemistry between the leads must be electric. While Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh do not completely clash, they fail to spark any genuine connection. The screenplay, also penned by Daley and Goldstein, delivers predictable dialogues and uninspired punchlines.
This writing issue directly impacts Reynolds' performance. While he is an actor of notable range, directors often pigeonhole him into his signature persona. In Mayday, Reynolds essentially plays a PG-13 version of Deadpool without the red suit. His typical Canadian charm, fast-talking quips, and sarcastic remarks about Soviet culture feel recycled, as if they were written for a Marvel anti-hero rather than a 1980s Navy pilot.
Where is the Action?
Despite being marketed as an action-packed ride, Mayday suffers from a severe lack of momentum. The film is bogged down by pacing issues, leaving too many quiet moments and very few thrilling sequences.
The film attempts to bridge the geopolitical divide with an 1980s soundtrack dominated almost entirely by Bruce Springsteen, but the musical choices cannot save the narrative from dragging.
By the time the film reaches its predictable moral conclusion—where the American realizes Soviets aren't entirely evil, and the Russian learns Americans are cool but naive—it feels like a lesser imitation of what Sylvester Stallone achieved decades ago in Rocky IV. Clocking in at nearly two hours, Mayday ultimately crashes under the weight of its own unfulfilled potential.
