Joe and Anthony Russo prove the old adage that it's not smart to do business with family wrong, and now thatThe Gray Man 2has been announced, it looks as if they've birthed a film franchise outside of their sterling work in the MCU. But it's not just the Ryan Gosling-led spy thriller and adventures with Captain America they're known for, as the Russos have embraced genresthat have nothing to do with action. However, it seems as though the latter is, financially speaking, their bread and butter.
When it comes to their Rotten Tomatoes resume, only the Russos' directorial efforts were considered for the ranking, meaning their producer roles on21 Bridges,Extraction, andEverything Everywhere All At Oncewere excluded.
You, Me And Dupree (2006) — 20%
The Russos' MCU movies certainly have their moments of levity, butYou, Me and Dupreeis their most recent attempt at a comedic feature, and it received marks from critics far lower than any of their later movies with Iron Man and Captain America.
Dupreeis a fairly typical rom-com, where a couple (Kate Hudson and Matt Dillon) faces a challenge that could potentially derail their impending nuptials, in this case, the titular Dupree. Critics found it to be fairly old hat, as even Dupree himself was no more than a light version of more strongly written characters in his filmography.
Cherry (2021) — 37%
The Russos have made a terrific habit of reteaming with MCU stars for their own solo action ventures.The brothers produced21 Bridges(2019) with Chadwick Boseman andExtraction(2020) with Chris Hemsworth before directing Tom Holland inCherry(2021).Extraction(67% per Rotten Tomatoes)was a major hit for Netflix,21 Bridges(54% perRT) did moderately well in theaters, but Apple TV+'sCherrymostly went under the radar, and its reviews didn't help. This even if it is considered one of the Russo Brothers' best movies onMetacritic.
Like all of the Russos' films afterWelcome to CollinwoodandYou, Me and Dupree,Cherryis visually stunning and has its moments that bleed cool, but critics (and Holland fans) felt the film's characters were underwritten, flat, and even wooden, effectively wasting the substantial talent of the cast.
The Gray Man (2022) — 48%
The reviews forThe Gray Manhaven't been the best of the Russos' career, but it's still a fun, quotable spy moviewith game performances from Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas.
The main issue critics have taken with the film has been its rigid adherence to spy movie formula, which is a lot of fun when combined with bone-crunching action, but professional reviewers just felt that given the cast and talent behind the camera,The Gray Manshould have been more than what the final product was.
Welcome To Collinwood (2002) — 55%
The Russos' debut feature film is very similar in tone to some of the sitcoms in which they've dipped their toes, and it ends up being an atmosphere that works better in 22-minute spurts than an 86-minute jog. Even still, it's a heist film with a cast as good asOcean's Eleven, including a bit part for Danny Ocean himself: George Clooney.
One issue many critics took issue with was the film's cartoonishvibe and overacting from the majority of the cast. But that was also what was asked of them, and critics like Nev Pierce ofBBCcalled it "...intermittently hilarious -- if you've a taste for the quirky...."
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) — 85%
In terms of scope,Avengers: Infinity Warstands as the Russos' greatest achievement. And, as one of the best movies where the antagonist wins, it's also a gut-wrenching epic with real stakes.
With all of the characters merging from the different wings of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,Avengers: Infinity Warcould have very easily become an overtly-convoluted, unsatisfying mess. But they pulled off a hat trick, making a film just as impressive asCaptain America: The Winter SoldierandCaptain America: Civil War, if not even more so.
Captain America: Civil War (2016) — 90%
While not the most rewatchable Phase Three movie,Captain America: Civil Waris still a successful sequel toCaptain America: The Winter Soldier and an integral chapter in setting up the MCU's future. It also shares a common thread with the other three Russo Marvel projects in that there are legitimate stakes (both external and within the group) that other installments in the Universe often lack to their detriment.
Critics praisedCivil Warfor many of the same reasons they gave high marks toCaptain America: The Winter Soldier. The film is more layered than the average MCU adventure and features developments for its (many) characters that feel organic to their nature should they actually be placed into a conflict where their enemy is their friend.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) — 90%
IfCaptain America: The Winter Soldierisn't the most rewatchable installment of MCU Phase Two, it's very close. It's bar none the most intelligent of the Phase, perhaps even of the MCU as a whole. Every ounce ofThe Winter Soldieris politically salient,but as relevant as it is to the real world, it's even morevital to the future of the overarching MCU.
Critics were pretty unified in declaringCaptain America: The Winter Soldierone of the best MCU films released up to that point. Their tones probably wouldn't be altered too much even eight years later, as the Russos' first MCU adventure is whip-smart and contains some of the Universe's most impressive fight choreography.
Avengers: Endgame (2019) — 94%
Endgamewas almost universally seen as a substantial achievement under the Russos' belts. It's a film that runs longer thanInfinity War, has less action, yet still feels shorter. The movie also gave fans what they were looking for on several fronts, including Captain America finally uttering his iconic, unifying catchphrase.
But it was much more than fan service and even more than an effective, well-crafted film.Avengers: Endgameis a masterclass of combining film franchises into one massive puzzle, and the fact that the Russos could make it entertaining, cohesive, and rewatchable is nothing short of a miracle.
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