After their plane crashes in Alaska, six oil workers are led
by Ottway (Liam Neeson), a skilled huntsman, to survival, but a pack of
merciless wolves haunts their every step in Joe Carnahan’s (The A-Team, Smokin’
Aces) latest thriller. The Grey features another solid leading turn by Neeson
as well as decent support helped by some well-written characters. The film also
benefits from an often nasty script as well as some frantic and thrilling set-pieces,
with plenty going on in such a beautiful but baron location.
Sadly, the villains of the piece are wolves. Considering how
real the film feels at times, it seems a bit daft that the bogeymen are subspecies
of the Canis lupus that reside along the Arctic coast in Alaska, merely because
human attacks are extremely rare. Even the Alaska black wolf, the largest
subspecies, would try to avoid contact with people, to the point of even
abandoning their kills when an approaching human is detected.
Of course, there are several reported circumstances in which
wolves have been recorded to act aggressively toward humans, but not in such a
manner as seen in Carnahan’s movie. Oddly, werewolves would’ve been more
realistic. The creature effects aren’t that great either, letting down a film
that could’ve been superb. As it stands, The Grey shows some imagination,
defies plot logic, but thoroughly entertains regardless. Carnahan is worth keeping an eye on. DW
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