Just Seen..... The Grey
Rubbish* Ok** Good*** Great**** Unmissable*****
Just Seen..... The Grey ****
Don't judge a book by its cover seems to be the theme of the day when reviewing The Grey.
It’s always amused me that Liam Neeson having actively most of his
life made it clear his hatred of violence has now, in the last decade,
ironically become a middle aged action icon (Taken, Unknown,
A-Team, Taken 2).
With The Grey's whole poster consisting of Neeson's angry face and with
the tagline "Live or die on this day" it could be fairly obvious what
type of Liam Neeson film were about to watch, however, upon viewing you
soon discover this is not the case.
The
Neeson casting itself could have been more of a favour to A-Team
Director Joe Carnahan (Narc), who originally had other A-Team star
Bradley Cooper in mind for the lead. Neeson’s extra years certainly work
better in the role, which lends more conviction to the film’s theme
than I think younger but capable Cooper would have brought.
However ironically the presence of Neeson is also what has lead to the
misconception of the film’s genre through its poster marketing.
Presented as an action film (Based on its star’s current appeal) rather
than the Thriller/Drama of which it truly is.
Neeson plays a Huntsman who protects oil drillers from attacks of wolves
but begins the film a broken man hoping for death and attempting
suicide.
The
story revolves around a group of the oil drillers, who after finishing
their last job are flying home only to crash down in Alaska. The
survivors now lead by the huntsman (Neeson) have a new danger in the
form of dangerous Grey Wolves whose territory they have accidentally
invaded, who begin to pick the group off one by one.
The film follows alot of movie clichés that you would expect from Hollywood such as;
A) Plane crash predicament leading to a survival mission.
B) Each member of the group being picked off one by one in almost a slasher style layout.
C) The protagonist happens to be an experienced huntsman, and they happen to be hunted by wolves.
Where The Grey differs is the way in which the material is handled
by Joe Carnahan who also co-wrote the script with Ian Mckenzie, who
wrote the short story The Ghost Walker, which the film is based from. He
takes the familiar scenes and alternates the way they are played out
with dark undertones.

Helping
the Director concentrate on the story telling aspect is the fact the
budget is a modest (For Hollywood) $25 million which helps when
propelling story not spectacle which is certainly the tone set here.
The
writers invested alot in character development, giving all the
supporting cast personality and purpose. They all have different traits,
extra details that make them valuable to watch. They bond together in
one part of the film by exchanging personal stories. Neeson’s
contribution is a story of his late father, who despite his toughened
demeanor was a fan of poetry. He recites his Father one and only poem,
which despite never grasping it’s meaning has never been forgotten by
Neeson;
"Once more into the fray...
Into the last good fight I'll ever know.
Live and die on this day...Live and die on this day..."
Live and die on this day...Live and die on this day..."
The
writer’s invest in the all the supporting characters for a tactical
purpose which becomes more apparent as the film goes on, in order to
propel its final message. The tact involved is to slowly make you like
and respect the survivors, then allow them to have a horrible grim
demise. Perhaps one of the most haunting moments comes after one likable
character has fallen to his near death, whilst laying there drifting in
and out consciousness. He sees his young daughter come to him and
affectionately console him, but in horrifying reality he is actually
seen being eaten alive by wolves.
This
is certainly not an overly jolly film, but then again plane crash
survivors being hunted by wolves in arctic conditions never was going to
be.
Outcome
Outcome

P.S
However if anyone is feeling curious, there is sneak clip at the end of the credits giving a teaser of the film’s conclusion.