The Grey
Rated R
1 Hour 57 Minutes
Rated R
1 Hour 57 Minutes
Starring
Liam Neeson
Frank Grillo
Dermot Mulroney
Dallas Roberts
Joe Anderson
Story
Dermot Mulroney
Dallas Roberts
Joe Anderson
Story
After their plane crashes in Alaska, seven oil workers are led by a skilled huntsman to survival, but a pack of merciless wolves haunts their every step.
Rotten Tomatoes Score
78%"The Grey is an exciting tale of survival, populated with fleshed-out characters and a surprising philosophical agenda."
Rotten Tomatoes Score
78%"The Grey is an exciting tale of survival, populated with fleshed-out characters and a surprising philosophical agenda."
My Grade
A-
Guess it's the week of survival movies for me. I know The Grey came out month or so ago, but I just now watched it..same week as The Hunger Games, another fantastic film about survival. The film tells the story of seven survivors of a plane crash in Alaska and they have to fight to survive in the harsh, cold terrain as well as a pack of wolves who stalk their every move. Now I've read reviews from every day people such as myself who saw the film, and complained because the behavior of the wolves was unrealistic and would never attack humans. Why can't people just enjoy movies as they are? I don't know diddly squat about wolf behavior nor do I believe the film accurately portrays it. And you know what? I don't give a crap. Because I was watching a FILM. A piece of work that suspends belief, like most other movies. If you want to see true wolf behavior, watch a god damn documentary. There wouldn't be a movie if we saw real wolf behavior.
Sorry, there I go on one of my tangents again. My bad. Well, as a MOVIE, I thoroughly enjoyed The Grey. It was one of the best survival movies I've ever seen. The writer of the film did a spectacular job at making each and every character three dimensional and giving them depth. This helps the audience feel for these guys, whether it be feelings of hatred (which I felt for one or two of them) or feelings of wanting them to live through this. I think it's important in movies such as The Grey to care about the characters one way or the other, or else when they get picked off it just feels like another body. It eliminates any excitement.
The Grey however, was plenty exciting. It was one of the most riveting movies I've seen in a while. Those wolf attack scenes are quite frightening and extra brutal. With a limited set, the director still does a marvelous job showcasing the action in a very eventful way. He does a wonderful job creating tension and excitement. He creates characters you can root for and hope they don't get torn to shreds. But if you are expecting the entire cast to survive...you may not enjoy this one. I won't say who dies and how many, but trust me, there is plenty of carnage. They do not hold back on the gore factor, again this was a solid way to put us in their element. While watching the movie, I felt part of the scenario. It completely immersed me in the story, and I thank the director for that. Survival movies should come off as raw and harsh to throw the audience right into their element. This movie does that, and does it well.
Liam Neeson (Taken, Schindlers List)has really come into his own lately hasn't he? He's kind of become the proverbial bad ass. He is so fracken awesome as an action star and as just an actor. I can't say I've seen a lot of his work, but I've seen enough to know that his performance in The Grey is arguable his very finest work. He isn't just the leader of this group who knows a thing or two about wolves. He is there only hope for survival. He isn't just a tough guy, he's a man with a soul. He's a man with a rough back story and who has heart. He cares about these guys even when they give him shit. He's one of my favorite film characters so far this year. This is a man you truly want to live through this. Neeson gives a dark and gritty performance. I think if this movie came out in the later half of 2012 he would have received some award attention.
Long story short, The Grey is a brilliant movie of survival. It gets right down to the darkest core of survival films and does so amazingly. It questions faith and humanity, and I absolutely LOVED this film, and is one of my favorites of 2012 so far. I cannot wait for it to come out on DVD so I can buy it!
The movie gives new meaning to some of the simplest things. Seeing your breath in cold weather takes on an entirely new definition and the way The Grey deals with death just feels incredibly powerful. Ottway questions faith right from the start and takes matters into his own hands throughout the movie. The events that transpire take a toll on even the most religious plane crash survivors. Death is more of a relief than something worth distancing yourself from. Ottway describes it as being a warm sensation and thinking about the thing you love most in life before completely giving yourself into it. Many of the campfire conversations are entirely more impactful than they have any right to be. The conversation about faith in general hits you like a potato sack full of cinder blocks.
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