Review of The Grey (2012) by Xgary X — 28 Mar 2014

In this wilderness adventure that pits man versus nature, hunter Liam Neeson becomes the hunted as he leads a handful of plane crash survivors through the most adverse of conditions while being stalked by a pack of wolves.

To be honest, I found the premise to this film to be about as promising as such films starring Troy McClure, but Joe Carnahan at the helm and Neeson's towering presence convinced me to give it a try.

Thankfully, The Grey is far from the usual macho chest beating that you see in a lot of wilderness adventures, the director instead showing how man stripped of his technology is little more than one of the beasts he finds himself hunted by.

Neeson once again revels in the part of a rough and tough pragmatist and it's nice to hear his native accent again, and although the supporting cast are very much playing second fiddle to the charismatic lead, they all acquit themselves well.

But it is their hostile environment that is the true star of the show, with some spectacular scenery combined with nature at its most brutal. Some very atmospheric photography and excellent sound design puts you deep in the ravages of the Alaskan wilderness and despite the predictability of the plot it makes for a tense, involving thriller that ends in the perfect way.