Review No.28: The Grey

Isn't that film just Liam Neeson punching a wolf in the face for two hours? That was my friend's reaction when we were mentioning The Grey in conversation the other week and at that time that's what I thought it was as well. Looking at the posters and the trailer it seemed to be almost Taken goes Arctic but in fact it is more of a survival film think Alive with less cannibalism and more Arctic wolves. In the opening scenes of The Grey we meet Neeson's John Ottway a man who is paid to keep the wolves at bay while others work on an Alaskan oil rig. In flashbacks we see that Ottway has had some troubles with his wife and it seems now that he is trying to commit suicide but ultimately feels he can't go through with it and is back on the plane home with the rest of the men. However disaster strikes and the plane plummets down with only a few survivors left it us up to Ottway to lead the charge and help the less experienced navigate their way through the snowy landscape in hope of finding some kind of rescue. Anybody who has seen any film like this before knows what to expect there's in-fighting, unexpected deaths and scenes in which the survivors gather round a campfire and say what they're going to do when they get home. The main threat though is a pack of wolves that are constantly on the tail of the men as they edge closer and closer to possible shelter it seems that this pack aren't too happy with these men infringing on their territory.

The Grey is an interesting film in so much as I feel I've seen it's like before but thanks to Neeson's gripping lead performance it keeps you watching. The theme of the film seems to be what are these men living for? Some like Dermot Mulroney's Talget have got family to get back to while others like Frank Gillo's Diaz just don't want to die without one more shag. Neeson though is a man torn and director Joe Carnahan keeps you guessing to what it is that happened between Ottway and his wife. Carnahan is also good at presenting the wolves as a constant threat even when they aren't seen on screen the men's fear of them is enough to keep you guessing when they'll strike next. One thing that I do like is that there are no scenes of mutiny here and while Diaz bitches and moans from time to time you never think that he will usurp Ottway's authority. On the negative side I did feel a bit weary a times as the scenes of the men constantly making their way through the snow were a little boring but I suppose there's nothing else that could've been done to further the plot though things to get a bit repetitive at times that's only because this does feel fairly realistic. I have to say this was a pleasant surprise of a film but don't fear because Neeson does get to at least wrestle a wolf if not punch one directly in the face.

Verdict: A surprisingly gripping disaster film with a really engaging lead performance from Neeson I'll give this one a 7/10