What I expected
from The Grey and what I actually saw were two entirely
different things. Sure, the movie is basically an extended episode of Man
vs. Wild, starring Oscar nominated actor Liam Neeson. But it's way better than your average
survival tale.
You can take
the plot at face value, but where's the fun in that? A group of men from an
oil-drilling site in far north Alaska survive a horrific plane crash in the
middle of the woods. They must now
try to survive the elements and a pack of apparently very hungry and angry wolves.
Amazingly director Joe Carnahan manages to portray a survival story while
including character development. Liam Neeson plays the somewhat reluctant
leader of the group, and the supporting cast is a believable bunch of misfits doing
whatever it takes to stay alive.
The actors portray
their parts quite believably. Nonso Anozie shows that he actually does have a
bit of acting range. Liam Neeson
does what he does best by portraying the leader, Ottway, well, in spite of the
potential for his character to be flat.
The tension
throughout the film is intense, but it's thankfully alleviated by the subplot
involving Neeson's wife. The tangent storyline isn't terribly involved, but
it's enough of a reprieve to give you a break from the suspense. As would be expected,
there is a level of gore and adult language to this film, with several
combinations of the two.
The
cinematography stays true to the film's title. The shades of grey are
highlighted by the occasional use of red and darker tones on blue. Alaska,
generally seen as this beautifully untamed frontier ends up looking more like a
terrifyingly dangerous outback. There are no panoramic shots of the snow
covered mountains. The cinematography makes everything seem like an insurmountable
obstacle to survival, which in a way is how the film wants you to feel.
