Ottway: A job at the end of the world. A
salaried killer for a big petroleum company. I don't know why I did half the
things I've done, but I know this is where I belong, surrounded by my own.
Ex-cons, fugitives, drifters, assholes. Men unfit for mankind.
 |
Director: Joe Carnahan
(2012) |
Whatever you think you know about The Grey
needs to be forgotten instantly. Despite what the trailers want you to believe,
this isn’t a film about Liam Neeson being an unstoppable badass who has a
penchant for punching wolves in the face; Taken set in the wilds of Alaska if
you will. Director Joe Carnahan’s latest is nothing of the sort. Instead we’re
served a survival film as much about man vs. environment as it is man vs. killer
wolf. Make no mistake, The Grey isn’t particularly realistic, but is redeemed
by some strong core components that make for an enjoyable final product.
What instantly scuppers any preconceptions
of The Grey is the opening monologue from Neesons Ottway, a letter to a loved
one who he is no longer with. This written poetry is backed up with some
evocative shots of the unforgiving Alaskan landscape, as smoke gently rises out
of chimneys into the pitch black sky. Ottway is a wolf hunter, employed to keep
the other men- of which he describes as Ex-cons, fugitives, drifters and assholes – safe. Before a plane
leaves to take everybody home, Ottway puts his rifle in his mouth, intent to
pull the trigger. His distressing action is stopped by the cry of a wolf in the
distance, the irony not immediately apparent. He chooses to board the plane,
only for it to crash in the wilderness, forcing him and 6 other survivors to
fend off against a pack of deadly wolves all while searching for rescue.
What helps keep The Grey fresh through its
2 hour running time is director Joe Carnahan’s ability to successfully straddle
multiple genres. The plane crash and resulting aftermath are indicative of
various survival films, as the oil workers battle the elements to rescue the
injured and remain as warm as possible. Within 10 minutes it’s an action flick
as Ottway gets mauled by the wolves in the surrounding area. By nightfall,
things shift towards horror, the wolves eyes shimmer from the abyss of darkness
that surrounds our protagonists. While the survival aspects aren’t realistic
enough, the action too poorly shot and the horror relatively unfrightening,
Carnahan gives just the right amount of development on each. The result is a
film that's far greater than the sum of its parts.
While the characters won’t be remembered
for their names, the film packs a strong punch around a campfire at the midway
point, as our protagonists tell each other stories to quell the fear of an
impending wolf attack. Carnahan makes us care, as these broken men talk about
their families and children and their longing to see them again. Such a tender
moment is shattered in my head and despite its opening monologue and survival
aspects, The Grey eventually boils down to a horror film; I know these people
won’t make it to the end. It’s a surreal emotion, films like this are usually
populated by empty stereotypes, and the last time I yearned for the entire cast
of a horror film to survive to the credits was James Cameron’s Aliens.
The intensity of the survivors descent into
the barren tundra is proliferated by some sound technical work; a quality blend
of CGI and practical effects. The wolves are an interesting blend of animation
and puppetry, courtesy of The Walking Dead’s makeup maestro Greg Nicotero.
While the CG isn’t much cop, it is well hidden by shadows and snowstorms, an
attempt at the ‘less is more’ approach. The puppets and models work better, the
threat feels more real to a much larger degree. What's even more impressive is
the strong sound design that augments the wolves’ feral and dangerous nature.
Why show your audience when you can force them to hear ravenous growls hiding
under the cover of darkness?
For all its strengths, The Grey is bound to
be remembered for its failings. In reality, wolves aren’t nowhere near as
malicious as they're portrayed here, and the harshness of the wilderness
would’ve killed the survivors in hours due to their inability to look after
themselves. Some dodge this by stating the wolves are a metaphor and the
environment represents purgatory, but these arguments are weak when compared to
how much the film does get correct in these regards. It needs to be taken with
a fairly large dosage of salt, but The Grey is a fine survival drama, with
Neeson at his best since Batman Begins.
