The Grey (2012) R

Liam Neeson's (Taken, Unknown) career is an interesting one, as he has become an action hero of sorts nowadays. He's re-teaming with The A-Team director Joe Carnahan (Narc, Smokin' Aces), and the results do vary. Carnahan and company put together a decent cast of undervalued actors and the cinematography (Masanobu Takayanagi) is top-notch, but there are problems at the core of this action-packed, claustrophobic disaster film.

Neeson plays John Ottway, a weathered sniper whose job is to shoot and kill Alaskan wolves who threaten oil drillers hard at work. The film opens with Ottway walking into a dirty, manic bar. A bar fight rages while the music blares and the beer flows like the salmon of Capistrano. Neeson takes a shot of the hard stuff, walks into the alley and puts a rifle into his mouth. His wife has obviously left him or has died, as flashbacks of the pretty brunette make him tear up. Right before pulling the trigger a wolf howls in the distance, and for some unknown reason this prevents him from ending his life.

The next evening, Ottway boards a plane with a drilling team. They are loud, rambunctious and inconsiderate to the flight attendants. This is the same group of guys who were brawling the night before like a bunch of Popeye's. A word for the wise; don't mix beer with spinach! One of the men (Joe Anderson) on the plane jokes about it crashing and everyone goes psycho; raving and ranting like 12-year-olds. Ottway dozes off like a new-born pup, though.

In the midst of his slumber, the plane begins to hit rough patches and eventually begins to spiral out of control. An engine catches on fire and one of the wings bursts into flames. Piece by piece the plane begins to fall apart in mid-air. Men go flying out the hole in the side of the plane, screaming all the way to their bloody demise. It's quite the scene, probably the best of the film to be quite honest.

Before the plane smashes into the snowy earth, the screen fades to black. Suddenly Ottway awakens in a bed with his wife (Anne Openshaw). Either he's in some kind of heaven or he's dreaming. Well, he's dreaming. When he wakes up for real he's lying in the snow. He's covered in snow; he looks to have been there for some time possibly. Maybe hours. He's bloodied up, but still intact. No major injuries, which in itself is a modern miracle.

Ottway locates the rest of the plane, which has been scattered all over the white landscape. There aren't many survivors; enough to count on two hands possibly. A couple of the survivors won't make it through the night with some of their injuries. Ottway uses his tremendous survival skills to gather the group's composure. They make a fire from the plane's debris and tend to their wounds. On the first night, a pack of wolves approach the camp. They don't attack, but they make their presence known. Ottway knows every single thing there is to know about wolves, so that will certainly come in handy. He tells the group that they're in the wolves territory, and that they will stop at nothing to eliminate their threat. That's bad news for all of us.

Despite being in a brutal situation, the men bond with each other. Hendrick (Dallas Roberts), Talget (Dermot Mulroney), Flannery (Joe Anderson) and Ottway become close pals over a short period of time. However, there's always one bad egg in every batch. Diaz (Frank Grillo) is always stirring up the pot, and he hates Ottway and his bossiness. He causes a rift in the group, but it isn't long before they've forgotten about Diaz's smart-ass attitude. The wolves are back for blood this time. They claim a couple members of the group the first two nights. They have no choice but to head south to try and find some refuge from these beasts, not to mention civilization.

One by one the men get picked off by these rogue wolves; it's all rather dramatic stuff, though quite unrealistic. They're whittled down to five (Ottway, Hendrick, Diaz, Talget and Burke) by the time they reach green earth. However, the wolves are still hot on their trail. It's safe to say Neeson's character makes it until the very end, but it's a lot of fun watching these men get eaten up, one by one. This film is never boring, whether the guys are eating wolf meat while howling at the moon, playing Cliffhanger, discussing religion or running from Jacob (Taylor Lautner...oops wrong movie) and the gang.

I disliked the ending, but I do understand why some found it poetic. The acting is somewhat iffy at times, but nothing too dreadful. The whole plot itself is a bit whimsical, but you can probably give it a pass. Neeson absolutely carries this film, and keeps it enjoyable throughout. I thought composer Marc Streitenfeld's (Robin Hood, American Gangster) original score was quite haunting, and definitely worth a listen. The entire cast does good work, but never quite flourishes because of a limited script by Ian Mackenzie Jeffers (Death Sentence) and Carnahan. Mulroney (Box of Moon Light, Zodiac) and Roberts (Walk the Line, Shrink) shine some much needed light on the film.

Nothing spectacular here, but what do you expect in January? If you're a big time Neeson fan, than this film is a must-see. Otherwise it's a toss up; I'd give it a chance though. I found it enjoyable, entertaining, flawed but altogether watchable.
B-