There are some combos that just shouldn’t work: like strawberries and balsamic vinegar, trousers and flip-flops, and labradoodles.

This sees another – the pairing of a witty, one-liner hip-shooter, with a classically-trained theatre thesp. But does it work in this quirky buddy, road movie flick?

1987, and relations between the USA and Russia are still on the chilly side, thanks to the seemingly never-ending Cold War.

Navy pilot Troy ‘Assassin’ Kelly (Ryan Reynolds) gets selected for a black ops mission, which finds him flying over Russia on reconnaissance. It doesn’t end well however, when his plane is shot, forcing him to eject into enemy territory that is the Russian wilderness.

He’s discovered by a man living on his own there, and he takes him to his cabin. When Troy wakes up, injured, he realises two things quickly: the person who has ‘rescued’ him is a big Top Gun fan, who may not be friendly as he’s tied him to the bed.

The man in question is Nikolai (Kenneth Branagh), an English-speaking Russian who insists Troy calls him Nik.

Troy isn’t sure how to take him; he claims to be a huge fan of all things America, but also happens to be an ex-KGB agent – or so he says.

But under the circumstances, he has no choice but to accept his help, and begin an epic journey to safety. But when Alexander Volkov (Marcin Dorociński), head of state security, learns of Troy’s arrival, he’s keen to prolong his stay, anyway he can.

The last film that talented duo John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein directed was 2023’s sadly underrated Dungeons and Dragons: Honour |Amongst Thieves, and there’s a chance the same could happen here too.

Even though it has uber likable/bankable star Reynolds involved, the pairing with one of the UK’s finest actors and directors in Sir Kenneth Branagh is an odd one. That said, he is a revelation, nailing both the quirky humour of his Russian character, as well as earning his action star certificate as he does.

It doesn’t stop Reynolds being Reynolds though, with much of his dialogue still continuing to sound like ad lib after ad lib and as cutting as ever.

Together they may well be an odd couple, but it works – beautifully. Reynolds is gracious enough to allow Branagh to have more than his fair share in the comedic spotlight – which he shines in – and still deliver a classic Reynolds performance.

It’s the kind of pairing that doesn’t exactly jump off the page – which might cause issues, but if you stick with it, it doesn’t take long for them to win you over.

They’re helped by a bonkers script – written by Daley and Goldstein – that feels like a spiritual successor to odd couplings of old, like Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin in 1988’s classic Midnight Run, with its eighties setting helping with the nostalgia hit for such titles.

The premise is silly, but works perfectly, and it has a number of genuinely funny, laugh-out-loud moments, as well some impressive action scenes.

There’s no denying it’s an odd combo – and one we’re unlikely to see again – but it just works, deliciously so, easily making it the most entertaining Apple original film released so far.

Its more proof that Daley and Goldstein are a pretty impressive pair themselves, looking like they’d have to go some way to make a disaster.

As far as Reynolds and Branagh are concerned, embrace the crazy combo and you will be rewarded, with this wild and wacky buddy road trip flick.