In the film entitled ‘The Grey’, it is Mother Nature versus Liam Neeson, and up until the end it’s not really clear who is going to come out the victor in this action packed flick that features the classic actor in a face off against Alaskan wolves.
Neeson plays a man that is mourning the loss of his wife who lives in isolation in Alaska protecting oil rig workers from the wildlife around the plant. The day to day life is a bit dull but it passes, that is until he and the workers jump on a plane and end up crashing in the wilderness with nothing but the clothes on their back and a pack of wolves that are savagely hungry.
To his credit, while the role may not sound like much Neeson plays it to the tee and it’s a shame that the director did not take more of Neeson’s emotion to heart because the clichéd flashbacks that are tossed in between the scenes actually detract from the genuine heart of the film.
The film opens with Neeson’s character considering how easy it would be to end it all at the end with his rifle barrel, but he decides not to and the film moves onward. Just a few minutes later Neeson gets a shock and thinks he might as well have done it when the plane he is on starts heading straight for the ground.
Already the outsider of the group, Neeson steps up to the mark as it seems he is both a born leader and a professional hunter, making him the most likely to guide the men through the wilderness and to safety. Although there are some power struggles they end up gravitating towards his leadership and suddenly the group is moving towards safety.
That is until the wolves show up to add some drama and action to the film, conveniently, it also helps weed out the group so that all that is left is a nice handful of stars to help support Neeson on his quest which include Dallas Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, and Frank Grillo.
CFY 