Home
Mayday

Page

Mayday

Summary
How to watch
News & features

❚ We may earn commission from links on this page. Our editorial is always independent (learn more).

Watch trailer

02:32

Mayday

Name: Mayday
Director: John Francis Daley
Genre: Comedy, Action, Adventure, Drama, War
Released: 2026
Duration: 1 h 50 min

Save

Comedy
Action

2026
John Francis Daley
110 mins
15

Summary

Writer-director duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein play the spy game in a fast-paced action comedy set at the height of the Cold War. US Navy pilot Lieutenant Troy 'Assassin' Kelly (Ryan Reynolds) undertakes a top-secret mission that will see him fly over Soviet territory. The assignment is fatally compromised and Troy is stranded behind enemy lines, fearing the worst. Former KGB agent Nikolai Ustinov (Kenneth Branagh) discovers Troy and should hand him over to authorities. Instead, the Soviet with a passion for American culture forges an unlikely alliance with Troy to help the stricken American escape via the nearest US embassy.

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

Patrick Cremona

Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh team up for this breezy 80s-set action comedy from directing duo Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Game Night, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour among Thieves). Reynolds plays US Air Force pilot Troy "Assassin" Kelly, whom we first meet during a Top Gun-esque training exercise that establishes both his impressive flying credentials and a bravado that borders on cockiness. But when he is enlisted in a Cold War mission and his plane is shot down over Soviet Russia, he must form an unlikely alliance with Branagh's former KGB officer, who has developed an obsession with all things USA. The unsure dynamic between this central pair informs the rest of the running time as they work together to get Troy back to safety. Goldstein and Daley pepper the narrative with fun fight choreography and a decent gag hit-rate, while they also get good mileage out of references to the aforementioned Top Gun and a number of Bruce Springsteen needle-drops. While Reynolds doesn't veer far from his trademark comic schtick, and his line deliveries can occasionally jar, Branagh turns in a charming performance that helps make this an eminently watchable diversion.

imdb-square

6.8/10