# Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh lead Apple TV+ Cold War comedy

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/mayday-on-apple-tv-ryan-reynolds-and-kenneth-branagh-shine-in-cold-war-action-comedy/
- Published: 2026-09-02T17:11:09+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-02T23:26:12+00:00
- Topics: Americas, Business, Celebrity, Companies, Entertainment, Europe, Film, Geopolitics, Politics, TV, World

## Key points

- "Mayday" starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh streams on Apple TV+ from Friday.
- Cold War buddy comedy follows a downed US pilot and an ex-KGB agent's Russian road trip.
- Reviewer praises the film but laments it wasn't given a cinema release.

## Summary

Apple TV+ is releasing "Mayday," a Cold War-inspired action-comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, from Friday. Directed by John Francis Daly and Jonathan Goldstein, the film draws comparisons to "Top Gun" and "Midnight Run," and the review argues it is strong enough that it deserved a cinema release rather than going straight to streaming, despite Skydance chief David Ellison's stated ambitions for more theatrical output from Paramount and Warner Bros.

The plot follows US Navy pilot Troy "Assassin" Brennan (Reynolds), who is shot down over Russian territory and rescued by eccentric former KGB agent Nikolai Ustinov (Branagh). The pair embark on a perilous journey across Russia to reach the American Embassy in Moscow, with Nikolai seeking defection in return, encountering a dangerous train journey and a hijacked nuclear-armed parade vehicle along the way. The review praises the chemistry between Reynolds and Branagh, along with supporting turns from Marcin Dorocinski, Maria Bakalova and David Morse, and highlights strong production values and aerial sequences.

## Coverage

- [Collider: ‘Mayday’ Review: Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh Are a Dynamite Duo in Apple TV’s Explosive Action Epic](https://collider.com/mayday-review-ryan-reynolds-kenneth-branagh-apple-tv/)
- [The Hollywood Reporter: ‘Mayday’ Review: Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh Have Infectious Chemistry in Derivative but Diverting Apple TV Action-Comedy](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/mayday-review-ryan-reynolds-kenneth-branagh-apple-1236679707/)
- [Deadline: ‘Mayday’ Review: Kenneth Branagh Steals The Show From Top Gun Ryan Reynolds In Skydance & Apple’s Wild Buddy Action Comedy That Should Have Been In Theaters](https://deadline.com/2026/09/mayday-review-kenneth-branagh-ryan-reynolds-action-comedy-1237064857/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.