Entry 1: RE: "The Grey" - "Wolves are Wimps"

Posted by: Bradley Redder

Well, after a little research inspired by some comments in your review I have discovered that you're claims about wolves are wrong. It is true that wolves would not act in real life as they do in this film, but rather than savagely attack all of the men at once and kill them, they are much more likely to run away at the sight of a human, especially several standing next to a fire with weapons in hand. Much of Neeson's character's expertise on wolves is actually entirely made-up as well, but where some may see this as a bad thing, I honestly don't care.

I'm not usually one to attack a film's verisimilitude, or its faith to source material, two things that come into play with The Grey, as it is also an adaptation of a short story. I'm all for dramatic license and, in the case of adaptations especially, I actually prefer it. In the case of fabricating a new reality, or certain aspects of it, as long as it is done with any amount of care, I'm all for it. It's essentially like a sci-fi premise. If the wolves just cowered away from Neeson and co. throughout the film, how boring would that be? Carnahan establishes that Neeson knows wolves, and Neeson gives us the rundown on these wolves, and that's enough for me... for all intents and purposes, they're real. And the film is all the better because of it, for it rewards anyone willing to go along with its premise, however unrealistic it might be.

As for the wolves being allegorical in some way, I don't see it either, though I also don't see it as just a bunch of dudes fighting wolves. In addition to setting the film up as a sort of blind-siding character study , which I'll discuss in a later post, I think it speaks to man's reaction to and impulse in a dangerous situation. I say The Grey redefines the Hollywood notion of manliness, because in this film fear and recognition of danger seem to be the hallmark of a real man, a capable hero. Neeson freely admits that he is terrified, "scared shitless" when addressing Diaz's (Frank Grillo) false-bravado, which not only makes him feel more heroic for being able to handle himself throughout the film, but also resets the audience's expectation and makes the experience that much more perilously exciting... heroes don't admit to being scared, so if he does, then who knows what we're about to see? It's just one more thing that I feel sets this apart from a typical action thriller.

Also, your opening line is funny... On the blu-ray commentary, Joe Carnahan says that he feels the plane crash is the best crash sequence ever filmed. While I'm inclined to see this as cocky and automatically disagree, I actually can't think of a better one off the top of my head. Thoughts?

Brad's Take: The Grey - ***1/2

Upon seeing the trailers for The Grey, I immediately classified it as the latest seemingly annual January/February Liam Neeson revenge/renegade thriller. Not that that would necessarily have been a bad thing, but right from the start, The Grey establishes itself as something much more than simple revenge thriller.

With The Grey, writer/director Joe Carnahan leaves behind his recent sloppy action spectacles, the abysmal Smokin' Aces, and what can only be described as an exercise in cinematic sadism, which he dared to call A-Team, and gets back to what made him worth paying attention to in the first place: gritty, tension-fueled, character-based thriller. The Grey follows a group of outcasts, formerly working in the arctic, as they try to stave off freezing, hunger, broken spirits, and a pack of giant, man-eating wolves after  their plane goes down in the middle of nowhere with no hope of rescue.

Neeson leads an amazing cast of character actors as a broken man who was hired to pick off wolves with a sniper rifle. In another film, or perhaps with another actor, this would seem like a cheap character, more of a plot device than a fleshed-out human, but Carnahan and a very grizzled Neeson go to great lengths to make him not only believable, but complex and sympathetic as well. And for good reason too, for the film really comes down to him, in more ways than one, and caring about his many struggles is made as much a priority as providing entertainment via slick wolf attacks.

Now that's not to imply that the wolves are handled lightly. They're surprisingly impressive to look at, given that they're not real. Through a combination of CGI and animatronics, Carnahan gives us just enough visually to fear these vicious creatures, but relies more on shadows and sound effects to really instill dread in the audience. Though even more surprising, and more impressive, too, is Carnahan's reserve in exploiting this technical achievement and making a standard survival thriller about man vs. beast. Instead he delivers a much more contemplative film that ultimately establishes itself as a sort of meditation on death and an attempt to redefine Hollywood braun and manliness. Gone, I hope, are the days when dudes shrug off any hardship and sorrow, because in all honesty, The Grey proves that tears and fears are not only much more manly, but also much more interesting.