Liam Neeson still delivers in The Grey

The Grey, released Jan. 2012, was something I had looked forward to checking out. I am a fan of Liam Neeson and based on his last few movies, I figured this one wouldn't disappoint. 

I was right. 

It begins, and ends, with the protagonist facing the decision to live or die. It is the choices he makes that draws you in. 

We follow Ottway (Neeson) and a crew of rough-and-tough oil men in a remote part of Alaska. Ottway is a sharp-shooter who's job on the outpost is to keep wild wolves that hunt in the area away from the workers. You get a very brief idea of who the workers are as the film tries to get the audience to understand how rough these guys can be. Then, Ottway tries to off himself before changing his mind. 

For one reason or another (we never get told the why), the crew boards a plane headed to Anchorage. The plane crashes (never explained why either) in the middle of "s"nowhere. Seriously, Alaska is not the place to crash a plane.

The crash sequences were stunning. It starts out with a little rumble and just as the guys on the plane realize something is not right, here comes the BAM! I will admit it. This plane crash sequence is better than the one from LOST, which coming from me is quite the compliment. 

Eight of our guys live through the crash. In a very touching scene, Ottway comforts one of the survivors who is on his way to death. Neeson's performance here was stirring and poetic. 

Now comes the time to start trying to live. The viewer is never given any specific reason for our hero wanting to keep on living. The number of survivors is now seven.

It is at this point in the film were we get to meet our wolves. Sort of. At one point, Ottway is ambushed by a wolf at another part of the debris site. Dead bodies = Easy Mac for wolves. In another scene, we get to see a couple of these big buggers but the rest of the pack is shown as only glowing eyes in the dark. If that plane crash didn't get ya, these bad boys just might.

Let me explain something. These wolves are huge for wolves. You won't see these babies at Yellowstone. One would think by the size they are well fed, so it would be reasonable to think there is food nearby.

There is an attack at the campsite and we lose another. Our team of merry-men have to move in order to find food and a safe place to hide. They collect wallets and head for the trees.

Throughout the trek, they are being stalked by the hunters. Honestly, it was brutal enough to have to walk through snow up to their knees. Did they really need to be chased? It's the little things like that which might bother you about this movie. I would think a wolf would be smart enough to know if we leave these guys alone, they'll freeze and then we can have man jerky for the rest of the winter. Apparently, these wolves are proactive.

Once they get to the trees, we are down to six but they're still not safe. The wolves don't mind the woods. 

Here is where things get hairy for folks who like wolves. Obviously, there are man v. wolf moments. Our guys get their punches in. If you are expecting no wolves to die, sorry. This isn't the movie for you. There is a particular scene regarding a wolf that some might find hard to stomach. One of the characters puts it the best but I won't ruin the actor's line here. 

As the guys keep moving, it's like watching a survivalist video that went all wrong. They are picked off one by one, making the band of roughneck's numbers dwindle. They still keep on trucking.

By the last half hour, we are down to the last few and the drive to go on dies in at least one of the characters. Just when you think these last two guys might make it, the wolves go after them again. They don't get our fellas but something else does. 

By the end of the movie, we get a glimmer of understanding of why Ottway made some of the decisions he made. Neeson is brilliant in a scene where he is screaming at God to help him and show him some proof that God exists. The fact that he doesn't get an answer but stands up to keep walking is a demonstration of the character thinking he is utterly alone while hoping he will find help. Then the damn wolves show up again. It is in these last few scenes where Neeson's acting skills are shown in their full glory.

The ending is somewhat ambiguous as you don't know what his fate will be. Although some might argue that one needs closure after becoming attached to the character and his will to live, others will enjoy these subtle nuances. 

While some of the survival tactics seem to make you stretch your imagination, overall the film stayed relatively realistic. The CGI effects were a bit obvious in some scenes but not so much to distract the viewer from the story.

It was a fun, suspenseful, thrilling, emotional movie. A few slow moments here and there but some great action sequences make up for it. If you enjoy Neeson's other films, you will enjoy this one too.