On an oil drilling plant In the outskirts of Alaska, Ottway (Liam Neeson) is a survival expert whose job it is to protect the various members of the drilling team from predators. One night after thinking about his wife, whose fate is unclear, he goes out alone into the snow to kill himself but can't bring himself to do it. The following day he and a few other men are boarding a plane to return home. During the flight however they run into some turbulence caused by a storm and the plane crashes. When Ottway finally comes to he rounds up all the survivors but discovers some wolfs eating the body of a dying person. Before he can get them away he is attacked but then rescued by the other survivors. The following night the wolfs come back and kill one of the men. Ottway does his best to keep these men alive while the harsh conditions of nature and the predators that live within it bear down upon them.

Stay after the credits. There is a short scene about five seconds along, but stay after and watch it. I went into this movie knowing the ending and that the trailers portray the film as something it is not. That being said, this is one pretty science damn well made piece of cinema right here. The way the camera is used to create tension along with some beautiful landscapes is right on. This is the first survival movie I have seen that truly gave me the feeling of isolation and terror these men were being subjected to. Despite the loud and obnoxious old people sitting opposite my friend and I in the theater. The wolf attacks are so sudden and unpredictable that they give the rest of the film this unwavering level of tension that is heart pounding throughout. Yet the wolves are not in the film even nearly as much as the marketing promises. When they do show up however they are used to such great effect. Upon looking at the whole film in retrospect you can make a very strong argument that this is an art-house film. Imagery along with the structure of the film are two of the most prevalent motifs to be found here. Both of which allows for the audience to experience The Grey on a whole other level. Now let's get around to the acting because most of the movie is just these guys talking and interacting with each other. Almost all of the characters seem like some faceless people waiting to be knocked off and a lesser movie would have allowed that. Thankfully The Grey gives you enough background and personality to each one of them so that when they are killed their deaths carry emotional resonance. It saddens me to know that the only reason this movie came out in 2012 was due to some editing problems and had to be delayed a few weeks. Liam Neeson would only have to worry about Jean Dujardin for competitors for Best Actor and even then not so much. I will not deny that I almost started to tear up during the final few scenes.

I shall reiterate what everyone else is saying with do not go into this movie with the expectations of having an action heavy Liam Neeson killing wolves film. If you do go into The Grey and come out not liking it for that reason, go fuck yourself. High Full Price