Mayday (2026) Review: Action-Comedy Chaos

Set against the backdrop of the late 1980s, the plot drops us into the cockpit with Troy Kelly (Ryan Reynolds), a cocky, wisecracking U.S. Navy pilot flying a top-secret reconnaissance mission over Soviet territory. When his aircraft is shot down by the formidable Alexander Volkov (Marcin Dorociński), Kelly finds himself trapped deep behind the Iron Curtain. His escape plan involves a desperate alliance with Nikolai Ustinov (Kenneth Branagh), a disgraced, eccentric ex-KGB agent who may or may not have his own agenda.

The script, adapting the familiar “odd-couple on the run” template, sends the duo across snowy Eastern European vistas, pursued by Volkov and a rotating cast of military stereotypes. Complicating matters is Nikolai’s daughter, Anna (Maria Bakalova), who pops up with her own allegiances, and flashbacks involving Troy’s old man, Harold (David Morse), a veteran with his own brand of tough love. The goal shifts, the loyalties waver, and the body count rises, but the core remains a chase narrative punctuated by explosive set pieces and rapid-fire banter.

Goldstein, who previously helmed the glossy Game Night, understands the assignment. He shoots the action with clarity and a sense of gravity that is immediately undercut by a one-liner. The opening sequence is slick and tense, establishing stakes that the film then casually disregard in favor of comedic repartee. The tonal whiplash is real, but it almost becomes a stylistic signature. One minute you’re watching a brutal fistfight in a munitions factory; the next, Branagh is explaining the intricacies of Russian nesting dolls as a metaphor for betrayal.

The film lives and dies on its central duo, and thankfully, they are a hoot. Reynolds is essentially playing his established persona - Deadpool with a flight suit - but his timing is impeccable. He delivers his zingers with a machine-gun cadence that lands more often than it misses. But the real surprise is Branagh. As Nikolai Ustinov, he is a glorious mess of contradictions: a chain-smoking philosopher, a bureaucratic relic, and a surprisingly capable fighter. Branagh leans into the absurdity, adorning his dialogue with theatrical pauses and a twinkle in his eye that suggests he’s in on the joke. Their “odd couple” friction - the cynical, organized spy versus the chaotic, improvisational pilot - provides the film’s heart.

Bakalova is underused as Anna, given little to do beyond look concerned and occasionally fire a weapon, while Dorociński makes for a suitably menacing, albeit one-dimensional, villain. The script borrows heavily from Midnight Run and 48 Hrs., and while it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, the pacing is brisk enough to mask the narrative holes. The third act devolves into a predictable series of betrayals and reveals that feel rushed, as if the director was more interested in the journey than the destination. The period setting is used admirably - grainy film filters and period-appropriate tech - but the comedy often feels aggressively modern, undercutting the historical verisimilitude.

Ultimately, Mayday succeeds because it doesn’t take itself seriously. It’s a slick, professional distraction that understands the value of star power. It’s the kind of mid-budget studio picture that used to pack theaters in the 90s, possessing a light touch that feels increasingly rare.

Pros

• Electric chemistry between Reynolds and Branagh.
• Genuinely funny, rapid-fire dialogue.
• Polished, kinetic action sequences.
• A charmingly self-aware 1980s setting.

Cons

• Formulaic story that borrows heavily from classic buddy films.
• Maria Bakalova and David Morse are drastically underutilized.
• Clunky tonal shifts between gritty violence and slapstick comedy.
• A muddled third act that tries to cram in too many twists.

Mayday is a jolt of B-movie energy with an A-list sheen. It will not win any awards for narrative innovation, and the script’s reliance on genre tropes is a minor sin easily forgiven when the two leads are having this much fun. It’s a perfect Friday night flick - undemanding, visually crisp, and eager to please. The current TMDb rating of 7.167 feels generous but earned; it’s a film that overdelivers on its simple promise of action and laughs. Just check your brain at the door and buckle up for a bumpy, occasionally brilliant, flight.