The Grey Movie Review

 The Grey is directed and written by Joe Carnahan, co-written by Ian Mackenzie Jeffers and it is based upon Jeffers short story Ghost Walker. The Grey, starring Liam Neeson, follows a group of plane crash survivors as they are hunted by wolves in the middle of a snow desert in Alaska.  

The Grey is an action/adventure thriller that is close to two hours long without a single dull moment. Liam Neeson plays Ottway, a man of Irish descent who is a lone wolf looking for a place of peace and solitude. Ottway works as a sharp shooter for a petroleum company to kill ravaging wolves to protect oil workers in the frozen tundra of Alaska. 

At the start of the film we hear Ottway recite a poem that he wrote. His poem may have been intended as a suicide letter but it seems to bring him some kind of peace as he reminisces over his deceased wife. 

Ottway and the other workers for the oil company board a plane back home to Anchorage. During the flight Ottway falls asleep then awakens to a freezing plane and people going into a panic while the plane is malfunctioning. 

This is a very intense plane-crash scene and Carnahan pulled off one of the most detailed and thrilling crashes that I have ever seen. He did not play it safe as if everything was going to be alright. Shaky camera, quick change of shots, extreme zoom-ins, and then black out. The entire film is well directed and Carnahan invites us on this adventure/thriller because just as the survivors are unsure what will happen next so is the camera work. 

Ottway survives the crash without a single scratch, which is understandable because the ladies don’t care to see a movie with a disfigured Liam Neeson. There are seven survivors of the crash and there current plan is to survive the night by fire, search for food and at daybreak head south. Waiting for a rescue plane is not an option for lowly workers of a big petroleum company so they decide that they have to make moves. 

While searching for other survivors Ottway comes across a wolf feeding on a flight attendant. This is where the fight between wolf and man begins. The men are at a disadvantage being surrounded by snow making it hard for them to move. So being out of their natural habitat, their first line of action is to look for safety and use defense when needed. 

There are religious and spiritual overtones throughout the movie. And to the audience the question is presented: Is there life after death and what is the meaning of life here on Earth?  

The Grey is an amazing movie and cannot be simplify to a man vs. wolves movie. This movie invites the audience to get to know these men, their nature and their stories. The Grey is certainly worthy of being added to your DVD collection because this movie has a lot of replay value. 

P.S: Stay for an extra scene after the credits.