Mayday: A goofy cold-war buddy comedy with unexpected martial arts

The film pairs Ryan Reynolds as a US fighter pilot with Kenneth Branagh as a retired KGB officer who idolizes American culture. Their unlikely alliance leads to chaotic chases and action sequences, offering a lighthearted take on the cold war era.

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The film is set in 1987, with Reynolds playing Troy Kelly, a rule-breaking fighter pilot whose spy plane is shot down over Soviet territory. He wakes in the cabin of Branagh’s Nikolai Ustinov, a retired KGB officer who secretly idolizes American culture and repeatedly watches Top Gun on bootleg VHS. Their initial standoff evolves into an escape attempt together, featuring car chases, a train sequence, and a hazardous aircraft scene, all while pursued by a stern security operative named Volkov.

Director-writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein craft the buddy