By J.T. Johnson
Director: Joe Carnahan
Cast: Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney, Dallas Roberts, Joe Anderson, Nonso Anozie, James Badge Dale
Photo courtesy of Open Road Films
“The Grey” is a dark, grim tale of survival in the Alaskan wilderness. It is a surprisingly subdued outing from director Joe Carnahan, the same man who brought audiences films such as “Smokin’ Aces” and “The A-Team.” It also reteams Carnahan with “A-Team” actor Liam Neeson who adds another powerful performance to his already glowing resume.
The movie begins with Ottway (Neeson) explaining that he works for an oil drilling company in Alaska. The troubled character goes on to explain that this is a place at the end of the world for men who have nothing left to offer. This includes former criminal Diaz (Frank Grillo), distant father Talget (Dermot Mulroney) and Hendrick (Dallas Roberts), possibly the most normal person of the bunch.
Soon, these men find themselves flying out of Alaska when they hit strong turbulence and end up crashing violently in the snowy wilderness. The men take all of the usual steps to survive. They get materials to build fires and take whatever possessions they may find useful. Then, they discover that they are being hunted by a pack of dangerous, bloodthirsty wolves.
Ottway explains that the reason the animals are taunting them could be because they are close to the wolves’ den. This means that the wild animals will not stop until the men are out of a thirty mile radius of the den. The fight to truly survive has now begun.
There have been several survival movies including the memorable 1996 and 1997 movies, “The Ghost and the Darkness” and “The Edge.” Unlike previous movies, though, “The Grey” chooses to look more at the philosophical nature of survival. There are meaningful exchanges, mostly from Ottway, about fear and bravery. Then there is the religious discussion. Did the men survive the crash for a reason much bigger than themselves are was it just dumb luck?
Despite the chilling tone of the film and always knowing that the wolves are lurking somewhere in the distance, the philosophical approach is what truly makes the film work. It also helps save the film from some of its admittedly major pitfalls. This includes some bad CGI work on the wolves and action sequences that are not all that intriguing.
The biggest problem with the action is the execution. Having seen some impressive sequences in Carnahan’s “Smokin’ Aces,” it was disappointing seeing quick take, close-up struggles. It gets so bad at times that the audience sometimes cannot tell whether they are looking at the man or the wolf.
It could have been that Carnahan did not want the audience to focus too much on the action, but instead the more down to earth discussions. That would be okay, but there should have been a little bit more entertainment value since the film’s story does contain a man vs. beast element. The action sequences are not a complete failure, but they are one of the film’s weakest moments.
As stated before, Neeson is the actor that truly drives the movie. Ironically, Ottway is a suicidal and tragic character who becomes the group’s ultimate tool for survival. Neeson helps make Ottway a surprisingly complex character in this dark story.
This is not to take away from the rest of the cast. Each one of them also does a good job at creating characters that the audience actually cares about. The two most memorable supporting performances come from Grillo as the hot headed Diaz and Mulroney as the faithful Talget. Each one plays two sides of the coin when discussing the bigger themes of the movie.
While the film is not perfect, “The Grey” contains an interesting study of the nature of survival. It contains powerful moments and truly good performances from its cast. Also, any film that is destined to piss off PETA can’t be too bad.
PROS:
- A wonderful examination about the nature of survival.
- Memorable discussions of faith and dumb luck help propel the movie.
- Liam Neeson and his fellow cast members give memorable performances and make their characters surprisingly complex.
CONS:
- The CGI work on the wolves could have been better.
- The action sequences are not all that memorable even though the film boasts a strong man vs. beast theme.
GRADE: B
