The Grey

The Grey is not the movie you are expecting. It's better. 


If you were expecting another Liam Neeson being a total BAMF movie, you would be right. But were you also expecting an in-depth look into the human survival psyche? Did you think that the close cousin of Taken would feature a strong religious aspect? Neither did I. But The Grey doesn't care what you would expect, and neither does Liam Neeson. 


The Grey starts off in the middle-of-nowhere, Alaska where a bunch of men (mainly ex-convicts) work on oil pipelines, or something like that -- it doesnt really matter. Long story short, they are all done with their two week shifts or something like that, so they load up on a plane to head back to slightly-populated-somewhere, Alaska. The plane crashes and only a handful survive, and they must continue to do so. Those of you who have seen the trailers will know that the main enemy they have to survive is a huge pack of super-violent wolves. And so begins your typical animal survival movie...


Except not. Not at all actually. There is something about The Grey that feels fresh. I know it has been done before many times, but early on, The Grey establishes that it follows no rules. It is pain-stakingly brutal, intensely calm, loud, quiet, and deep. I found myself hanging on nearly every word or scene where Liam Neeson is pondering his existence; why he is still alive when death surrounds him. Why does death taunt him but not take him? Why does he still strive to live? Where is God in all of this? God's not here? Is death beautiful and warm or violent and cold? The Grey analyzes all of these questions by conversations between the characters during dull moments, during moments that life is on the brink, and most beautifully as flashbacks of Ottway's (Liam Neeson) past. The dialogue isnt corny existential gibberish either. It makes sense and it makes you think. It makes you ponder how far you could go or what you would look to for support in such a hopeless situation. In other words, The Grey is more than just another action-survival movie. It is an experience of human survival and what it does to a person.

If you woke up from a plane crash in the middle of Alaska, what would you do?

But of course, this is a Liam Neeson movie here, and that means that some ass needs to be kicked. Insert the wolves. And this is where the movie could have messed up the most, but it manages to keep in check. The wolves are not a single thing, but rather a presence signifies by shadows in the distance and howls at night (my vote for one of the creepiest sounds in a movie: a huge pack of wolves all howling at the same time). They strike when you least expect it and they destroy you. Seriously. I jumped a couple times in this movie as high as I did in Paranormal Activity 3 and when it was all said and done, there was R-rated remains of  a person staining the snow. 

Qui-Gon Jin vs. Wolves. Im sure he is missing his lightsaber right about now

The Grey is a phenomenal movie. Quite honestly, Im not sure your typical jock on the street will like it. It's not necessarily a smart movie, but if you really think about the dialogue, it is a very deep movie. And it wears this fact on its sleeve. It doesnt try to hide the fact that it wants to talk about poems and what makes a man smile. Perhaps the best indication of what type of movie it is comes when Liam Neeson admits to the group of men that are making their way through the woods: "Im scared shitless. Im terrified" 


Glad to hear that Liam Neeson can admit that, cause Lord knows I would be. 


Pros:

• Thought-provoking talks about life, death, God, family, love, and nature. If my favorite part of an action movie is the existential talk, you know it has to strike some type of cord
• Loved Liam Neeson's flashbacks. At first they seem they have no purpose, but then they begin to become a common theme and are entirely explained at the end. So beautifully done
• The R-rating. This movie would not have worked as a PG-13 movie, plain and simple.
• Action always keeps you on your toes and strikes when you least expect it. Seriously, just you wait
• Each character is distinct and maybe a little cliched, but the actors make it work
• The only movie that I have seen where the deaths were frightening to me. It is almost eerie how real some of the deaths are in the movie, as if the actor actually just lost his life on screen; you feel a presence leave the screen when a couple of characters die. Its attention to detail has impact rather than just killing off people and making you think nothing of it
• Insanely intense crash sequence. Almost too much, I realized I was gripping the sides of my seat as the plane went down
• Captures the beauty of the Alaskan wilderness as well as the brutality. I was getting cold just watching the movie

Cons:

• Fair amount of unnecessary language, but then I realize I'd be cussing that much too if I was in the same predicament
• The wolves can be pretty terrible looking at times. They either look super realistic or like they CG-jumped out of Twilight
• Starts to overstay its welcome in the last 20 minutes. 

Up For Debate:

• The ending. Some will hate it, some will love it. I liked it. Looking back, you realize that the movie was never about action, it was about life or death. Just a hint: stay until the end of the credits...

Rath's Review Score: 9/10