The Grey (Joe Carnahan, 2012)

[willoneill]

I just got home from a preview screening of "The Grey", and wow, I was blown away. Based on the trailers, I was expecting a Taken-esque "Liam Neeson goes badass on a pack of wolves", but it's definitely not that at all. In fact, I would call it more of a serious meditation on death (and a little bit on "manliness" for lack of a better word). There's not a lot of action, but plenty of poignant moments. Plus, what I would call the perfect ending, though some may not like it. This is definitely one of the best Liam Neeson performances I've seen it a long time.

[mfunk9786]

Wow, you've piqued my interest in a film I had no interest in before! There are a few slick-looking adrenaline films coming out in the next few weeks that don't look half bad to me - I have to take in a few double features in the next couple of weeks.

By my count:

Haywire
The Grey
Chronicle
Man on a Ledge

[willoneill]

Honestly, but solely on the premise, I was iffy on Chronicle, but then I saw a 15 sceond tv spot (of all things), and the tone of it piqued my interest, so I'll probably check it out. As for The Grey, which I'm still deep in thought about this morning, if you do see it, there is apparently a scene after the credits. I didn't know this, and based on the movie, I have no idea what that scene could be.

[mfunk9786]

Bloopers, obviously

[cdnchris]

Took my wife to see The Grey, which I had no interest in (I didn't mind Narc but find most of Carnahan's other films insufferable,) and I think I ended up liking it a lot more than her. I might be suffering from a case of "ItWasAShitLoadBetterThanIThoughtItWouldBe-idous" but I found myself on the edge of the seat quite often, and was impressed with the photography and the interactions between the characters. There are a couple of ridiculous moments

Spoiler

like when they decide to jump to a tree from a ledge

, some stupid character decisions, and the wolves mostly look fake, but I forgave most of this because I thought the rest of the film worked, and as to the wolves they're not around enough for it to be a real issue.

And willoneill is right. It's existential, nothing revolutionary, but for a mainstream film it's surprisingly grim and really ponders over death, the existence of God, and really does ask questions. There's also a really good moment where Neeson's character, who isn't religious (if I recall he says he can't allow himself to believe,) loses it and starts screaming at the heavens to God I can only guess. It could have been cheesy but I found it very effective and I thought Neeson sold it, and it was beautifully shot. The film really does question the existence of a God and even questions if He does exist why doesn't he do anything, why would He allow any of this to happen? Why would He let them survive a plane crash only to have to face the extreme elements, which includes the wolves? It's not as eloquent as anything Bergman has done of course, as at its most extreme it has Neeson calling Him a useless, sadistic, fucking asshole when he's screaming at the sky, but I was impressed a film like this would really ponder on such things to such an extreme, not really give any answers, even at the risk of alienating the audience that would more than likely see this.

And also like willoneill said there's very little action, and the one scene that the trailers were using to sell it as such, where Neeson goes face-to-face against one of the wolves, will piss off many who were going to see the film solely for that, which I actually sort of admire it for. And, for its subject, the ending is suiting but I could tell many were mad about it in the theater.

As to the end credits, I missed it, but from what I was told

Spoiler

apparently Neeson's character beats the wolf, and the wolf lies there similarly to the wolf he shoots at the beginning, still breathing but obviously dying. But it sounds like Neeson is also lying there, possibly dead, but there's no confirmation either way.

I'm going to rent it again when it comes out to see how it holds up but my first viewing was a pleasant surprise.

[flyonthewall2983]

Took my wife to see The Grey, which I had no interest in (I didn't mind Narc but find most of Carnahan's other films insufferable,) and I think I ended up liking it a lot more than her. I might be suffering from a case of "ItWasAShitLoadBetterThanIThoughtItWouldBe-idous" but I found myself on the edge of the seat quite often, and was impressed with the photography and the interactions between the characters. There are a couple of ridiculous moments

Spoiler

like when they decide to jump to a tree from a ledge

, some stupid character decisions, and the wolves mostly look fake, but I forgave most of this because I thought the rest of the film worked, and as to the wolves they're not around enough for it to be a real issue.

And willoneill is right. It's existential, nothing revolutionary, but for a mainstream film it's surprisingly grim and really ponders over death, the existence of God, and really does ask questions. There's also a really good moment where Neeson's character, who isn't religious (if I recall he says he can't allow himself to believe,) loses it and starts screaming at the heavens to God I can only guess. It could have been cheesy but I found it very effective and I thought Neeson sold it, and it was beautifully shot. The film really does question the existence of a God and even questions if He does exist why doesn't he do anything, why would He allow any of this to happen? Why would He let them survive a plane crash only to have to face the extreme elements, which includes the wolves? It's not as eloquent as anything Bergman has done of course, as at its most extreme it has Neeson calling Him a useless, sadistic, fucking asshole when he's screaming at the sky, but I was impressed a film like this would really ponder on such things to such an extreme, not really give any answers, even at the risk of alienating the audience that would more than likely see this.

And also like willoneill said there's very little action, and the one scene that the trailers were using to sell it as such, where Neeson goes face-to-face against one of the wolves, will piss off many who were going to see the film solely for that, which I actually sort of admire it for. And, for its subject, the ending is suiting but I could tell many were mad about it in the theater.

As to the end credits, I missed it, but from what I was told

Spoiler

apparently Neeson's character beats the wolf, and the wolf lies there similarly to the wolf he shoots at the beginning, still breathing but obviously dying. But it sounds like Neeson is also lying there, possibly dead, but there's no confirmation either way.

I'm going to rent it again when it comes out to see how it holds up but my first viewing was a pleasant surprise.

Agreed with all of this*. I went in expecting a middle-of-the-road adventure-thriller, but got so much more.

Spoiler

The last 30 minutes or so of the movie, starting around the fire when Mulroney's character talks about his daughter and Neeson's talks about his father and the poem which ends and begins the film, just fucking blew me away. The succession of Diaz's last stand, Hendrick's death and Ottway going over the wallets almost had me in tears at the end. And I almost have never cried at a movie as an adult, so that should tell you what kind of impact it had on me.

Not quite...

There are a couple of ridiculous moments

Spoiler

like when they decide to jump to a tree from a ledge

, some stupid character decisions

Spoiler

I wasn't taken out much by the decision to jump to the tree, I would think a man of reasonable size could probably pull it off as was done in the movie. Definitely not something to try at home though, although it's doubtful anyone of us can call an Alaskan wilderness home.

I'd like to know what you meant by "stupid character decisions". I'm sure it's been documented people make terrible mistakes in crises, and that to me is well-represented in the film.

[Murdoch]

re: The Grey

The best part of the movie was, for me, when:

Spoiler

After the plane crash, the man is dying in the seat with the survivors gathered around. Neeson just flat out tells him he's going to die and doesn't kindle the man's hope or attempt to relieve his pain by telling him the usual "it's going to be alright." The way the other survivors just stand by in silence was a great moment, and the film's atheistic theme was a relief from what I otherwise expected.

Also, the plane crash itself was effectively done, and when Neeson awakes to see the plane hurtling toward the ground, with the walls and floor torn out, it reminded me of the opening sequence in Lost, which never fails to elicit my deepest fears of flying.

[flyonthewall2983]

Spoiler

Another thing that didn't occur to me later is that the story must have taken a personal significance to Liam, who himself had to deal with the sudden death of his own wife. Seen through that particular spectrum, the story had to have been all the more personal to him because of it.

Another thing I liked, trivial as it is, was the WY hat.

[LQ]

In all I liked The Grey and its meditative, existential quality, and I appreciated that as the film wore on the characters were developed into men with back stories, families, personalities... and not just left as nameless wolfbait. However, there's some sharp disconnect between the way fate is meted out in logical fashion, and how the film asks us to swallow some flagrantly unbelievable scenarios.

Spoiler

Other examples have been detailed by previous posters, but I'll add another - the drowning death was cruelly real, the sort of fateful accident that you just don't see occur in movies, especially not movies with killer wolves. But as hard as that hit, the fact that Neeson didn't immediately succumb to hypothermia took me completely out of the scene. Obviously that would've killed some penultimate dramatic tension, sure, but still. I won't even address the fact that none of them would've survived days in blizzard-like conditions in Alaska to begin with.

Spoiler

Another thing that didn't occur to me later is that the story must have taken a personal significance to Liam, who himself had to deal with the sudden death of his own wife. Seen through that particular spectrum, the story had to have been all the more personal to him because of it.

That incident came rushing back to me in the beginning. That added understanding made his performance even more layered, tragic.

Post-credits scene is pretty much what Chris described:

Spoiler

Single close-up shot of the wolf's body on the ground, still breathing, the back of Neeson's head rested against its flank. Both his head and the wolf's fur slick with blood. Unnecessary; I thought the dynamic movement of the film's ending shot was perfect.

[knives]

Spoiler

I won't even address the fact that none of them would've survived days in blizzard-like conditions in Alaska to begin with.

They were in Canada at that point. I won't address anything else because I think this one's too personal for me to mount an intelligent defense to any other point though. If Hollywood can pump out anything to top this one it will be it's best year since '07.

[cdnchris]

I'd like to know what you meant by "stupid character decisions". I'm sure it's been documented people make terrible mistakes in crises, and that to me is well-represented in the film.

Thinking about it now I was probably wrong. There were things I questioned during the movie but thinking about it later they're obviously not stupid but just damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't moments that obviously weren't going to work out no matter what happened.

Spoiler

One item I was thinking about was that they're trying to not move closer towards the wolves' den but it would seem pretty obvious their den would be in the woods and not in the open like that, where there would be water and possibly other animals to hunt. But of course, I guess, the reality of it is where else are these guys supposed to go? Staying out in the open wouldn't have helped matters any more.

The other thing I questioned was the one individual close to the beginning wandering off to relieve himself, but again, what's the guy going to do? I guess he can't piss right there where everyone is sleeping.

Spoiler

Other examples have been detailed by previous posters, but I'll add another - the drowning death was cruelly real, the sort of fateful accident that you just don't see occur in movies, especially not movies with killer wolves. But as hard as that hit, the fact that Neeson didn't immediately succumb to hypothermia took me completely out of the scene. Obviously that would've killed some penultimate dramatic tension, sure, but still. I won't even address the fact that none of them would've survived days in blizzard-like conditions in Alaska to begin with.

Spoiler

The fact he didn't succumb to hypothermia really bothered me as well I have to say, and even called "bullshit" out to my wife, who agreed. But I forgave it almost right away because I really liked the scene that followed. And yes, there was no way in hell any of them were going to survive, but they're of course going to fight to do so on the slim hope that maybe they will.

Post-credits scene is pretty much what Chris described:

I'm actually glad I missed it originally as I found the ending effective as is, pre-credits. I think that would have ruined whatever punch there was initially. I'm suspecting it was something added more to appease audiences expecting a big climax fight of sorts.

Heh, this news makes me slightly less embarrassed about unintentionally laughing out loud at the trailer ...all the times I've seen it. (Jonah Hill's heft shattering the car windshield gets me every time).

I've laughed every time as well during the trailer.

[flyonthewall2983]

Spoiler

If I'm ever faced with having to climb a rope from the top of a mountain to a treetop, I'll know now to throw my glasses out before I climb out. That part of the scene really hit home since mine slip off so damn much.

[knives]

Spoiler

The after effect was probably the most disturbingly touching moment of the whole film. He was easily my favorite character, love by the way how well defined and complex each person was by the way, and the idea that his last thought is of his daughter is basically the biggest sort of element that kept this from being a Clouzotian exercise in nihilism for me. It may be a damned world where death haunts you constantly, but there are still moments in life worth, I'm not sure if I'm phrasing this well, leaving it with positive memories. An other big thing for me is that considering what the wolves symbolize had Diego not made the change he did at the campfire thematically he would not survive the attack.

[colinr0380]

Based on the trailers, I was expecting a Taken-esque "Liam Neeson goes badass on a pack of wolves", but it's definitely not that at all. In fact, I would call it more of a serious meditation on death (and a little bit on "manliness" for lack of a better word). There's not a lot of action, but plenty of poignant moments. Plus, what I would call the perfect ending, though some may not like it. This is definitely one of the best Liam Neeson performances I've seen it a long time.

Sorry for the years later thread bump on this but I caught the film on television last night and surprisingly enjoyed it a lot. Though I know I shouldn't have been I ended up being quite surprised at the sheer bleakness of the film, which is almost a showcase of all of the worst possible ways to die that one could ever imagine! I went into this very much with the expectations of willoneill's first post above (that was really what put me off for the longest time, after having been really annoyed by the politics underpinning Taken!) mixed with Alive (which amusingly gets namechecked early on! I suppose that adds a little extra ironic commentary to the way that you can only relate to your horrible current circumstances by saying that they are just like an old movie you remember!), though the big plane crash sequence is not quite as spectacular as Alive's was!

I think though that I could have actually managed without the wolves at all! (Though it did make me realise what the newest Tomb Raider games have been influenced by in their wilderness survival aspects!) The wolves are the 'motivating metaphorical force' who turn up to push the dwindling numbers of survivors onwards, or otherwise pick them off, but they're not really too important beyond that aspect (Its interesting to compare this to David Mamet's film of The Edge with the bear there performing the same role as the wolves here. Only that is slightly less bleak for its characters and suggests that human ingenuity can overcome the wildlife!). A lot of the first two thirds of the film play into this aspect of man vs animal, and implied "who is the smartest/who is the real monster here?" type questions with the wolves mourning their dead set against Diaz scoffing at collecting the wallets and beheading the cooked wolf to throw back into the night at its companions. Diaz is probably the character with the best character arc in the whole film, and it is interesting that the ostensible 'villain' of the piece, irreverent, irreligious and profane, meeting threat with his own rather cruel counterthreats, is the one most aware and accepting of the end when it is his time, and he gets the best death for that realisation while the rest get 'hounded' (literally!) to their fates.

The first two thirds of the film were fine but perhaps nothing too unconventional for this kind of story, and I really found the whole 'jumping from top of cliff into tree' part rather ridiculous (mostly for the way that the wolves suddenly seem to have teleported from threatening the group whilst up on the cliff to immediately being underneath the tree to catch a falling body!), but after that scene the whole tone of the film changes into something much bleaker and upsetting than even a wilderness survival piece. Diaz's low-key end is the turning point (I love the way the film hangs on his last shot for what seems like forever, which felt rather daring for a major film), but then the whole scene between the last two survivors which follows is amazing:

Major spoilers:

As Neeson's character Ottway is shown to have been seen the night before the plane crash leaving the local bar to go out with his rifle with a suicidal look on his face by Henrick. When they are alone Henrick calls Ottway on this (with an interesting climax to all of the idealised flashback scenes, in this case showing Ottway putting the barrel of his gun in his mouth, that seem to be literalising a character's thoughts (in this case Henrick's concerns) more than being the 'actual objective truth') and suggests that Ottway might have been suicidal all along. Has Ottway really been motivated during this whole situation by a sense of survival? Has he instead known all along that everyone was going to die and that there was no hope, and that's why he has not had as extreme reaction as everyone else to the events?

Suddenly what has been up to this point a rather straightforward 'endurance against the odds' situation felt as if it gained a really interesting sense of ambivalence layered onto its events. Especially the death of Henrick which follows, where he falls into the river and gets his foot caught between some rocks leaving him struggling for breath just inches beneath the surface. I think this is a brilliantly harrowing scene, especially for the way its not entirely certain whether Ottway is actually distresssed and unsure of how to free Henrick before he drowns, or whether Ottway is just 'going through the motions' (including a kiss of life goodbye) for his friend. The way that the scene makes certain that the viewer sees Henrick's foot trapped between the rocks in frequent cuts to it, while Ottway just keeps trying unsuccessfully to pull Henrick up without even checking his foot, seems to be the film's way of suggesting that if only Ottway had checked Henrick's foot, he might have been able to free him. And that then implies that Ottway isn't trying that hard to figure out how to free Henrick, more is just letting him die (just in an even more distressing way) as he did with the guy in the plane just after the crash.

And that might be because Ottway is on his own journey towards death that is easier to make on his own. His pleas to God which receive no reply become a determination that "I'll do it myself then!" and he finally reaches the wolves den. The film kind of presents this as a big "oops!" twist moment where Ottway finally has to reckon with death as all of his companions did before him, but the ambivalence of whether Ottway is suicidal or not creeps in here too. Perhaps Ottway, a 'noted wolf expert' hasn't just stumbled on this location by accident but has planned to go out in a blaze of glory all along. Perhaps he was never leading his companions to (illusory) safety but deeper into the heart of darkness. Perhaps Diaz and Ottway are not so different after all in at least choosing the manner of their deaths (basically as manly as possible rather than returning back to a civilisation they have no part to play in), compared to the other guys bickering and dying horribly at the mercy of everyone from bad pilots to wildlife and the elements! Its probably telling that both Diaz and Ottway share the same first name, John. The only difference seems to just be that Ottway wants to die in battle rather than just lie down and accept it (even if he chooses that option for a couple of the other guys!), so he tapes broken bottles and a knife to his hands so that even dead he'll be attached to his foe.

So there's a really interesting final third here, even if it is all incredibly bleak! (Though manly as hell, of course!). I could have done without all of the sentimental wallet stroking/suicide note laying out in the final scene, but I did like the religious element seemingly becoming less about being 'saved' by God and more about praying for the opportunity to meet your maker in your preferred way, which is all that can really be hoped for. I think its still a bit too conventional until the point where there are only three characters left (Because even 'happy ending' survival films usually involve a lot of the supporting cast getting killed off, and its only when we get to the final three that the bleakness starts to become all too apparent!) and that cliff jumping scene was ridiculous, even if it was one of the earliest foreshaowings of doing suicidally dangerous things because there's no real other choice, so why not go out fighting. I guess it also makes Henrick's horribly tragic and senseless death later on all the worse because he survived a literal leap of faith earlier on! However I'm still surprised to have gone into the film expecting Taken but with wolves (where I was waiting for Neeson to shout "Give me back my daughter!" at the confused animals!), only to have ended up wondering how this would work in comparison to Neeson's role in Silence!

I'd also argue that the brief post-credits scene is the perfect way to end things, maintaining the ambiguity of who is breathing and came out victorious of the fight!

Spoiler

Even if we all know it is most likely the wolf survived, just was stuck with the knife and has been left puppeting Ottway's corpse around!

[flyonthewall2983]

Limited Edition 4K Steelbook, from Shout!, out December 9th