The Grey Review

I had heard great things about The Grey before heading into the theater, but every time someone I knew talked about it, they would say "You'll see." Until now, I wondered what it was. But i'll get to that in a minute.

The film revolves around a team of oil workers who survive a plane crash in the middle of Alaska. They are led by Liam Neeson's character who has an expertise in wolves. They band together to survive and make their way to safety, fighting the wolves that stalk the group along the way.

You may call it a re-hash of other Neeson films, but this is pure R-rated, fighting, cursing, and overall badassery. The characters aren't your usual one dimensional stock cronies like in the movie Predator. They all have their stories, their families back home, they have real conversations. They are well crafted, and conflicted. And its pure adventurism.

Here's the issue with the film, it has no ending. I'm not talking about the ending of Inception, where there is a conflict that is resolved, but the final shot is ambigous. In The Grey, there is exposition, rising conflict, but just as the climax is about to commence, the screen fades to black and you see "Directed by Joe Carnahan". There is a scene after the credits, but like Inception, you need to use your imagination about what you think happened. I won't give you details, that goes against my principles, but this is just a fair warning about what you should expect.

Until that point, the film is perfect.

Liam Neeson gives a heartwarming perfromance of a man who has nothing to look forward to back home, but makes the journey anyway. His wisdom shines through with every line. His inner badass is in every scene. He isn't fighting something in every moment, but with this film, he shows us that he is truly capable of drama rather than just constantly beating the crap of everything in sight. That is why he is this film's "Andrew's Standout"

I would say that whether or not you see this film is up to you. The film makes a great escape, yet you will feel quite unfulfilled. If you do end up seeing this movie, STAY after the credits. You can come up with your own ending.

B+