Mayday Trailer Review: Can Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh’s Cold War Comedy Take Flight?

The first trailer for Mayday quickly establishes the kind of film it wants to be. It is not presented as a straightforward Cold War thriller. Instead, it places Ryan Reynolds’ trademark humour in Soviet territory and pairs him with Kenneth Branagh as a former KGB agent who unexpectedly becomes his closest ally. It is an unusual pairing that creates immediate interest.

The story follows US Navy pilot Troy “Assassin” Kelly, played by Reynolds, after a mission goes disastrously wrong in 1987. Stranded behind enemy lines, he expects imprisonment or death. What he gets instead is Nikolai Ustinov, Branagh’s former Soviet operative whose fascination with American culture turns the expected rescue mission into an unlikely partnership. The trailer hints at military pursuits, narrow escapes and a series of sarcastic exchanges.

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Mayday treats the Cold War as more than a serious political backdrop. Rather than focusing entirely on espionage and international tension, the trailer centres on character-driven humour. Nikolai’s enthusiasm for American pop culture provides many of the laughs, while Reynolds spends much of the trailer reacting to the increasingly unusual situations around him. Instead of competing for the funniest line, the two actors play off each other’s contrasting personalities, giving the trailer some of its strongest moments.

Branagh delivers an unexpected performance. Best known for his dramatic work both in front of and behind the camera, he takes on a broader comedic role without losing the authority that makes his character believable. His calm delivery contrasts with Reynolds’ familiar exasperation, creating a partnership that feels natural.

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The trailer features large-scale action sequences, including fighter jets, forest chases, military convoys and explosions, indicating a high-budget production. The action appears balanced with the comedy, allowing the humour to remain part of the story rather than interrupting it.

Directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are known for combining action and comedy. The trailer alternates between suspense and humour without relying on constant jokes, suggesting a balance between the two elements.

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Ryan Reynolds is well known for his established comic style, and audiences have seen variations of it in several recent films. Mayday will need more than familiar one-liners to stand apart from similar action comedies. Branagh’s performance and the Cold War setting add enough variety to make the trailer feel distinctive.

The film also avoids treating its historical setting as little more than a joke. Instead, it uses the political tension of the period to build an unlikely partnership and generate much of its humour. That approach helps set Mayday apart from many spy comedies that rely mainly on parody.

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Based on the trailer, Mayday presents an unusual mix of action and comedy. Reynolds and Branagh appear to have convincing on-screen chemistry, while the combination of large-scale action and an unconventional Cold War story gives the film a distinctive identity. The full feature will determine whether it can maintain that balance, but the trailer introduces its central partnership effectively and leaves viewers wanting to see where the story goes next.