Review of The Grey (2012) by Cheyne L — 24 May 2013

The typically action oriented writer/director Joe Carnahan has created a film with the capacity to touch your soul and rip out your heart .. it's a masterpiece that any filmmaker would be proud to call their own .

. 'the grey' is foremost a film about true spirituality, questioning our own stance on the matter with sharply written conversation and scenes centered around unflinching looks of death .. 'the grey' creates moments of deep emotional intensity without the use of the usual sure-fire topics .

. the film's dealings with death are naturalistic, each event scarily realistic to say the least .. I felt these men's struggle, not just their physical struggle against a relentless mother nature but their internal qualms with the significance of life in the face of fierce adversity .

. for winter cinema fare, this film is far above par, though certainly dark and appropriate for the season, will probably be one of the years best .. 'the grey' doesn't tell you what to think, but does guide ones line of thought, and not always gently .

. your own spirituality, if you consider yourself to have any or not, is brought to light, often through the dark .. but what is more profound is the film's stance on life, mostly from the point of view of someone with nothing left to lose .

. what drives a man to survive against all odds? how does a man find the will to live? what if one loses that drive? what does it feel like to simply exist without purpose? 'the grey' reminded me of my own mortality with breathtaking scenes of serenity and loneliness, some beautiful, some terrifyingly graphic .

. It's cerebral and visceral at once, a rare film that resonates its bleak vision to bring around a great appreciation for one's own life, reminding of the power of love and family ..