Film Review: Mayday

Mayday
Directors: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Skydance Media, Maximum Effort
Streaming on AppleTV: 09.04.2026

There’s no question that ‘80s nostalgia is huge these days, but there’s more to the ‘80s than tabletop RPGs, Amblin’ movies or even music. Those of us who lived through that period remember it, fondly or otherwise, as the Reagan era – the height of the Cold War and us vs. them. Before we brought the concept home and half of us became “them,” a big part of the point of popular movies was patriotic propaganda reminding us that we were blessed to be here in the land of the free, instead of stuck behind the iron curtain. On the surface, Mayday is very much a throwback to those movies, but with the benefit of hindsight, it subverts the formula.

In 1987, hotshot U.S.A.F. pilot Lieutenant Troy “Assassin” Kelly (Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool, The Adam Project) is flying an SR-71 Blackbird on a top-secret mission over Soviet Russia when a mid-air collision with a Soviet MiG-29 forces him to eject and abandon his aircraft. Injured and unconscious, Troy awakens to find himself in a cabin belonging to Nikolai “Nick” Ustinov (Kenneth Branagh, Murder on the Orient Express, Dunkirk), a former KGB agent who has reinvented himself as a hermit and a rabid fan of American culture. Stranded in the Russian wilderness and surrounded by enemy territory, Troy doesn’t trust Nick, believing him to be a fully indoctrinated communist who is merely toying with his American captive. It soon becomes clear, however, that Troy’s only hope of getting out of the Soviet Union is to stick with his newfound “comrade,” and as the two join forces, they begin to see that barriers separating people are less about iron and ideology than they are about two governments who have invested a lot in telling their citizens exactly what they are supposed to think about each other.

Despite underperforming at the box office, the 2023 fantasy heist movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves helped the team of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein become something of a hot commodity. Mayday, the bridge between that film and their upcoming big-screen take on Star Trek, furthers the idea that they know how to make a highly entertaining popcorn flick. The mix of high-flying action, buddy-comedy banter and spy-thriller intrigue promises to be one of the highlights of the fall season. It’s very much a “they don’t make ‘em like that anymore” kind of film, with the added layer of making it in a way that never used to do it. 

The clever script plays with the familiar notions of clear-cut heroes and villains, using its American pilot and Russian ex-KGB ally to take the traditional “good guys versus bad guys” dynamic and tear down that wall. Admittedly, some of it could have gone even further for my taste – a subplot involving a supporting character being oppressed by the reality that being gay was a criminal offense under Soviet rule pretty much ignores how culturally taboo it was in a very conservative America at the time and expressly forbidden by the military in which Troy serves – but it’s still a refreshingly balanced look at the point of views of both nations that’s sorely needed after the disservice to the truth that was The Brink of War.  

Much of the film’s appeal rests on the chemistry between Reynolds and Branagh, and they make a great team. Reynolds is very much doing his familiar shtick, but it works because his persona nicely fits the cynical, wisecracking Bill Murray archetype of 80s comedies. Still, Branagh makes the movie, playing against type as an excessively enthusiastic travel companion who is part Jason Bourne and part Del Griffith from Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987). Their contrasting personalities give the film its comedic spark, while their growing trust and friendship provide its emotional core. 

Maria Bakalova (Borat: Subsequent Movie Film, The Apprentice) isn’t given much screen time in her role as Nick’s estranged daughter, though in fairness, I’m a huge fan and I’m always going to complain that Bakalova is underused, at least until someone gives her the substantial star vehicle that she deserves. Still, I think it’s fair to say that the combination of these two actors and this father-daughter reconciliation story could easily have been a great movie by itself, and as a subplot in an action-heavy blockbuster that clocks in at under two hours, justice is hardly done to it. 

The message I’m sending out for Mayday is still that it’s more than worth your time, and another feather in the cap of one of the most consistent streamers when it comes to high-quality original content. Anyone who enjoys spy thrillers or buddy movies is almost sure to be satisfied, and if you enjoy buddy movies and Branagh the actor half as much as I do, this particular Cold War story should give you plenty of warmth. –Patrick Gibbs

Read more film coverage from Patrick Gibbs below:
Jess Bush on Christine Chapel’s Journey in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season Four
Edie Arnold Is a Loser Brings Its Utah-Made Punk Comedy Home

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