Dir: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein | USA, 2026 | Apple TV+
Cold War paranoia meets buddy-movie farce in Mayday, an action comedy that pitches two very different screen personalities against the inhospitable backdrop of Soviet Russia. With Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh sharing the cockpit, the result is an enjoyably irreverent adventure fuelled by cultural misunderstandings, nostalgic 1980s references and an increasingly unlikely friendship.
Set in 1987, the story follows hotshot US Navy pilot Lieutenant Troy “Assassin” Kelly (Reynolds), whose clandestine reconnaissance mission over Soviet territory goes spectacularly wrong. Shot down and stranded behind enemy lines, he finds himself in the remote cabin of Nikolai Ustinov (Branagh), a seemingly eccentric former KGB operative. But Nikolai is no ordinary Russian captor. An enthusiastic admirer of American culture, he is obsessed with Top Gun, Bruce Springsteen and the prospect of experiencing the delights of a McDonald’s hamburger. Rather than hand over his unexpected visitor, he decides to help him escape. What follows is an increasingly chaotic flight across hostile territory, with Soviet security forces in hot pursuit.
The comedy rests principally on the delicious culture clash. Reynolds brings his familiar arsenal of sardonic one-liners, smart-aleck bravado and bewildered reactions, while Branagh, sporting a formidable beard and a convincing Russian accent, relishes the opportunity to abandon Shakespearean gravitas for something altogether more anarchic. Their contrasting comic rhythms provide the film’s strongest asset: Reynolds is the wisecracking American who thinks he knows everything, while Branagh’s former intelligence operative proves considerably more resourceful than his homespun appearance suggests.
Indeed, Branagh emerges as the surprise trump card. There is considerable mischief in watching the celebrated actor embrace physical comedy and action choreography, while giving Nikolai an underlying humanity that prevents him becoming a mere caricature. Reynolds, meanwhile, is entirely at home in familiar territory. His deadpan delivery and irreverent persona are occasionally overworked, but he makes an engaging foil for Branagh’s more exuberant performance. Together they generate the chemistry that carries the film through its more predictable passages.
Directors Daley and Goldstein demonstrate a confident command of action-comedy mechanics. There are energetically staged brawls, narrow escapes, high-speed chases and the obligatory airborne peril, all delivered with a briskness that keeps the adventure moving. The visual treatment is polished, with the wintry Russian landscapes providing an attractive backdrop to the increasingly outrageous escapades.
The screenplay, however, is less assured. Its narrative engine is essentially a succession of familiar escape scenarios, and the film occasionally mistakes a steady supply of 1980s references for genuine comic invention. The Top Gun jokes, nostalgic musical cues and Cold War in-jokes are amusing initially, but the conceit is stretched a little too far. The more serious emotional threads offer welcome glimpses of substance but are never entirely integrated into the adventure.
There is also an appealing, if somewhat uncomplicated, political subtext about the absurdity of national stereotypes and the possibility of friendship across ideological divides. At a time when East-West tensions feel uncomfortably contemporary, the suggestion that ordinary people are rather more complicated than the governments representing them has a certain resonance.
Ultimately, Mayday is enjoyable escapism rather than a reinvention of the buddy-comedy genre. Its plotting is occasionally mechanical and its nostalgia heavy-handed, but the central double act has sufficient charm to overcome most reservations. Branagh steals much of the show, Reynolds supplies the wisecracks, and together they make for a lively, undemanding ride. Not quite Lethal Weapon at its best, perhaps, but a welcome reminder that the action-comedy still has plenty of life in it.
Touted by Apple TV as its biggest original film launch ever, Maydaystarring Ryan Reynolds and Oscar winner Kenneth Branagh is set to compete across TV-movie categories in the upcoming awards season.