Review of The Grey (2012) by Simon G — 26 Jul 2013

More than your average survival flick, The Grey pits Liam Neeson and a gang of oil drillers against a pack of savage wolves when their plane crashes in the Alaskan tundra en route back to civilisation. All of this is really just a metaphor for the demons Ottway (Neeson) is facing in his own life, using all of his strength to refrain from suicide - an interesting opening scene.

Some of the early shots feel positively documentary-esque which creates a sense of realism which never really lets up, even when animatronic/CGI wolves show up looking like something out of a twisted fairy-tale rather than real life. Neeson really digs his teeth into the role (no pun intended) and carries the film through right to the end, not to say the supporting cast doesn't do their share but this is Neeson's film.

What really sets The Grey apart from other survival films (The Edge, Alive come to mind) isn't its battling of the elements, in-fighting and savage wolf stalkings/attacks but the way these men face the fear of as well as actual death with an accepting peaceful serenity in the face of a losing battle. More than anything else The Grey explores what it means to live, to fight, to persevere, the give up, and ultimately to die when your time comes, as these men look for God or their own version of it in the final moments.