Review
Mayday (2026)
image: Apple TV
Directors: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Writers: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Ryan Reynolds, Marcin Dorociński, Maria Bakalova, David Morse, Clark Johnson, Louis Cancelmi
Run Time: 1h 50m
UK Rating: 12
7/10
Mayday continues Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s run of great films that don't find the viewership they deserve. The writer/director team’s last effort was the unexpected great Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) which eschewed the grim, dour fantasy being offered on television and offered a colourful family adventure. It unfortunately failed to perform at box office due to the combination of a fan boycott of Wizards of the Coast (who had attempted to change the role-playing game’s licensing) and exceptionally poor marketing. Their new film is a throwback buddy movie that is far more cinematic and carefully constructed than its unceremonious streaming service release would suggest. Despite the formulaic and deliberately retro nature of the film, it's almost shockingly good. A pleasant low stakes surprise, bolstered massively by Kenneth Branagh’s unlikely success as an action movie star.
Set in the dying embers of the Cold War, Ryan Reynolds plays Troy “Assassin” Kelly. A US Navy pilot whose Reagan era politics see him lecturing his friends about the benefits of free market capitalism and the failures of the USSR’s brand of communism. Despite sounding utterly insufferable he’s actually a good guy, caring for his sick father (the always reliable David Morse) and pulling off daring aerial manoeuvres to rescue a fellow airman in distress. It’s this reckless move that sees him recruited to back up pilot the Blackbird, a high tech CIA spy plane which they intend to fly over hostile Russian airspace on a reconnaissance mission. When they’re discovered and pursued by MiG the plane’s arrogant pilot ignores Kelly which leads to them being shot down over enemy territory. The sole survivor, Kelly’s parachute is quickly torn up in the descent and crashes, injured into the Russian wilderness. He’s rescued and patched up by Nikolai Ustinov (Kenneth Branagh) an ex KGB operative who has become disillusioned with the Soviet Regime. Living secluded in the Siberian wilderness Ustinov (who insists on the westernised Nick) is a self proclaimed American obsessive, his cabin is packed with Hollywood artifacts and treats his bootleg Top Gun video like a holy relic. The pair form an alliance with Ustinov shepherding Kelly through enemy territory with the promise of citizenship for Ustinov and his estranged daughter Anna (Maria Bakalova). Complicating matters is KGB agent Alexander Volkov (Marcin Dorociński) pursuing the pair in the hopes of turning up the temperature of the Cold War and halting Glasnost.
image: Apple TV
If you’ve seen a Ryan Reynolds (who also produces) film you’ll not be at all surprised by his performance in Mayday. The film makes good use of his wise cracking, cocky charm and impeccable comedic timing. Kelly is the quintessential flyboy, an individualist lost in a land of collectivism who must learn first hand about the nation he’s dogmatically hated without question. Kelly’s emotional journey could have been given a little more room but I was pleasantly surprised with the nuance. Reynolds isn’t at all challenged by the material but he does well with the film’s emotional beats.
Kenneth Branagh however is an absolute revelation, sinking into the role and delivering his most fun performance in years if not ever. With his Grizzly Adam’s style beard making him almost unrecognisable and taut, muscular physique, he’s the main focus of the film's action moments, with Reynolds merely along for the ride. Ustinov is a muscular, brutal fighter (though the film is decidedly bloodless) able to easily dispatch gangs of foes single handedly. It’s such a pleasantly incongruous role for the actor but Mayday makes the case for him joining Bob Odenkirk in the ranks of unlikely action heroes. Dusting off his Russian accent from Christopher Nolan’s Tenet (2020), his naturalism plays off well against Reynolds, though Branagh ends up stealing the film. Maria Bakalova does well with her limited screen time, Anna’s relationship with Nick being realistically fraught but more scenes would have aided in fleshing out their dynamic. Same for David Morse, who makes a welcome appearance but isn’t given much to do at all. Marcin Dorociński gives an enjoyable old school villain performance with an intense unwavering ideology and the nation’s resources at his disposal.
image: Apple TV
It’s a genuine shame that the film didn’t get a theatre release as Barry Peterson’s cinematography is pretty spectacular throughout. The high altitude dog fighting at the beginning of the film is impressively shot, far exceeding what’s usually expected from streaming service action comedies. Peterson previously worked on the director duo’s Dungeon and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) and Mayday has a similar vibrancy even if the colour palette is far more muted. There’s even an arresting Wes Anderson-esque sequence that tracks the duo's carbound journey through Russia that is unlike anything else you’re going to see in an action comedy. Also overperforming is the fight choreography which hits as hard as Mayday’s 12 certificate will allow. An early barfight is a ramshackle joy that sees Ustinov using every prop at hand to protect the injured Kelly, it’s more similar to the scraps in eighties action films than the ultra stylised modern bouts. John Lee and Jamie Gross who edit the film keep things lean, breathlessly moving through set pieces at a brisk pace. Written by Goldstein and Daley, Mayday indulges in eighties nostalgia (most of Springsteen’s Born in the USA graces the soundtrack) but not as heavily as the marketing suggested. Instead the focus is on Kelly and Ustinov, who are a likeable pair. It’s also not as jingoistic as the Top Gun which is referenced throughout, the resolution that people are essentially good but governments are frequently terrible is pleasantly irreverent.
After some lacklustre action comedies from Apple TV (I imagine even those involved have forgotten about 2023’s Ghosted) Mayday is a welcome addition. It’s a far better prospect than I think anyone expected and worth watching for Branagh alone who appears to be enjoying himself immensely. It makes a decent case for a late career reinvention with how easily he adapts to throwing one liners alongside punches. Apple have historically struggled to bring eyes to their exclusives but the success of the excellent Severance, Widow’s Bay and the breakout hit Ted Lasso will hopefully see Mayday find the audience it richly deserves.
Watched on Apple TV
Published 8th September 2026