The Grey (2012)

During a plane ride home from Alaska, a hunter/sniper (Liam Neeson), who targets dangerous and threatening wolves and an oil drilling team (Todd Flannery, Talget, Diaz, Hendrick, Burke, Hernandez, Lewenden) encounter a fierce blizzard. Everything is shaky at first, but eventually, the passengers are forced to endure a fierce and violent ride, as the plane crashes to the ground. The survivors are stranded in a dangerous territory, and time isn’t on their side, because the bloodthirsty wolves, who inhabit the secluded area will kill any unwelcome intruders. The resources are VERY limited, and the freezing temperatures continue to drop. The survivors are in desperate need for shelter or a rescue, but can they survive the freezing temperatures and the attacks from the relentless wolves?

At first, I didn’t expect much from The Grey, but this film really did surprise me. The acting is very solid here, but Liam Neeson deserves a lot of credit, because he was fantastic as the lead man. Neeson was very convincing as the brave leader, who was willing to do anything to protect the other survivors, and find safety at any cost. Neeson was brave, and he could be believable as this fierce leader, who would take down any threatening wolves. John Ottway (Neeson) was a leader, and he was the voice of reason throughout this film, but Neeson could also showcase a sensitive side. You could see a heartbroken man, who missed his wife. Also, Neeson was fond of his father, and he had a strong bond with him during his childhood years. Neeson recites a poem created by his father a few times, these scenes did provide some heartwarming and touching moments, and Neeson’s character wasn’t afraid to admit his fears in this film. When the situation called for it, Neeson was more than willing to stand and fight, but he still wasn’t ashamed to profess his fears. Neeson’s character was a leader, who fought off dangerous wolves, but at the same time, he didn’t try to be this cocky alpha male bad ass. John Ottway KNEW he was stuck in a dangerous environment, and the chances for an escape were very slim. He knew his life could end at any moment. This particular thought scared him, and proudly admitting this fear was a very admirable personality trait.

The Grey is an emotional and heartbreaking tale of survival and death. This film is loaded with some nice action, the gore can be pretty gruesome, there are a few spook moments here, and this film does feature some characters, who can really care about. John Ottway and the oil rig team were men with families. The thoughts of returning to their loved ones helped keep hope alive, but for some, having to endure the freezing weather and the viscous wolves proved to be too much. Some decided to give up on life and the quest home, and these certain scenes did provide some very emotional moments. A lot of the characters weren’t afraid to admit their fears in this film. They knew they could die at any moment. They were scared, and they didn’t try to hide it. I thought this was a nice touch, because you really won’t see too many cocky characters, who make stupid mistakes in The Grey. They show their emotional side, and I really wanted to care about characters here. Also, the atmosphere in this film made the danger feel more realistic. I could really feel for the survivors, as they struggled to march through the deep snow, and the cold temperatures caused many difficulties for the main cast of characters in this film. The nighttime scenes felt eerie and chilling, and the glowing eyes of the hungry wolves in the dark helped add to the unbelievable tension throughout this film.

Final Rating: 8/10