Review of The Grey (2012) by Elena N — 15 May 2014
At first glance this film is action, thriller, and general Neesonry. A group of men, hunted by wolves. Not a wholly new concept, until you watch and see that it's much, much more. Neeson gives his all as a lost, gruff widower with "a job at the end of the world".
When he and other oil-rig workers find themselves among the wreckage of a crashed plane in the middle of Alaskan wilderness and an unforgiving winter, he rises as a leader and attempts to rally the men to work together towards one goal: survival.
The action is brutal, and thrilling. The landscapes are beautiful, and ominous. The acting superb, the script raw and refreshingly human. But it is the message behind the actions and motivations of the characters that keeps you and has you thinking and musing and questioning long after you leave the theater, or turn off the TV.
Sure, Neeson is the protagonist and a would-be hero here, but he is struggling with his own demons, and it is a beautiful and tragic thing to watch. Each man, with his own past and faults, struggles along with him--with faith, pride, love lost and gripping fear.
In a race against nature and predators disturbingly alike to themselves, they decide: Is it worth it to keep fighting, even if there is no hope? Or does that make your will to live more glorious? No one knows what kind of person they truly are, or what they're capable of until peril is thrust upon them.
A choice to flee or fight. To live or die. What separates man from wolf? The Grey will show you, and you will have a hell of a time finding out.
This review of The Grey (2012) was written by Elena N on 15 May 2014.
The Grey has generally received positive reviews.
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