By: RAMA
What did RAMA think of THE GREY? Make sure to follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
At times it feels like a long episode of Man Vs. Wild but the film’s occasional detour to drama about mortality and faith and questions about what happens when you die while trying to survive through dangerous elements keeps me fixed on THE GREY. Liam Neeson is the man, it doesn’t get more macho than Neeson, he can track down and fight human traffickers and now he can fight wolves, that is one bloody ballsy Irish son of a gun…
Frank Grillo & James Badge Dale Interview For The Grey Part 1-
In “The Grey”, a group of oil-rig roughnecks are left stranded on the sub-arctic tundra after their plane experiences a complete mechanical failure and crashes into the remote Alaskan wilderness. The survivors, battling mortal injuries, biting cold and ravenous hunger, are relentlessly hunted and pursued by a vicious pack of rogue wolves. Liam Neeson plays the leader of the team, which also features Frank Grillo (upcoming “Warrior” and “Lay The Favorite”), Dermot Mulroney (“Burn After Reading”, “About Schmidt”), Dallas Roberts (“The Good Wife,” “3:10 To Yuma”), Joe Anderson (“Across The Universe”), James Badge Dale (upcoming “World War Z”, “The Conspirator”, HBO’s “The Pacific”), Nonso Anozie (upcoming “Conan The Barbarian”, “Atonement”, “RocknRolla”).
Liam Neeson Interview For THE GREY Part 1-
The film is set in an extremely harsh cold condition which is great to me, it adds the level of complication because if the wolves don’t mess with the characters, the weather will, the cliffs will or the raging river will, this is an environment where literally anything goes. I think the film’s pacing is great, the story puts good care for the characters, it starts out with Neeson’s character losing hope on life, but then he finds himself with a purpose to fight again. If you watch the previews or the trailers, you’d probably immediately dismiss it as some kind of action horror film but it’s actually got heart and it’s surprisingly emotional on some parts, you get to see a depiction of both the best and the worst of human nature when a few characters are put in a situation where they basically don’t belong.
I really admire what THE GREY did as far as the wolves go, they used a combination of both practical effects and CG and the wolves look amazing, very convincing, very menacing, the threat is constantly there. I’m glad almost nothing about this film seems toned down, the violence makes it all more real and suspenseful, if you can’t stand the sight of blood, you’re going to have a hard time watching because there’s lots of it.
Some of the knowledge about the wolves that you’ll hear in the film may be a bit exaggerated and some of the actions taken by the characters may not go according to the usual survival tips but it’s all designed to remind you again and again that the odds are not in their favor.
I think the cinematography is fantastic, the turbulence and the plane crash sequence are massive and terrifying.
I’m a big fan of Carnahan’s gritty cop drama Narc and I think with THE GREY, Carnahan returns to that similar world where the lead character wonders if it’s still all worth something, anything at all, what will fear turn you into and if there’s a higher power that could help, THE GREY doesn’t answer those questions, it merely shows the frustrations that come with them.
GRADE: 4 out of 5
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