Movie Review - The Grey

The Grey (2012)

Staring Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo, and Dallas Roberts

Directed by Joe Carnahan

The cinematic equivalent of a Bear Grylls Man vs. Wild adventure, The Grey strands a group of oil workers in the cold Alaskan wilderness after a horrible plane crash.  Not that the extreme weather elements wouldn't have been enough, but the survivors are faced with the fact that they crashed in the midst of a large wolf den and the wild beasts are none too happy about their uninvited guests.  Fortunately for the survivors, they happen to have John Ottway (Liam Neeson) with them -- a man whose sole purpose at the refinery is to kill wolves before they attack the oil men.

For the most part, The Grey is a success.  Liam Neeson, who lately has seemingly been taking any film that comes his way for a paycheck, finally finds himself in a movie that's actually got some purpose and depth behind it and he takes on the headstrong Ottway with gusto.  His supporting cast is all incredibly strong as well with nary a one of them succumbing to the curse of stereotypes -- "The Quiet One;" "The Tough One;" "The Smart One" -- that often befalls ensemble flicks having characters with distinct personalities.

Of course, the actors are helped by a solid script co-written by director Joe Carnahan who manages to give each character a presence that isn't usually felt in movies like this.  Carnahan takes things slow and admittedly could have sped things up a bit as the film has a tendency to drag when it drifts into the pseudo-religious philosophizing of Ottway's mind, but I can't necessarily say that I ever found myself longing for the flick to be over.  Still, it should be noted that despite its "action" premise, The Grey is much more of a character-driven drama than anything else.

The RyMickey Rating:  B