Liam Neeson, like George Clooney, is able to cross between serious art house and big-bang box office movies. The Grey looks like a mashup showcasing his repertoire. Playing someone providing expert protection for oil-rig workers in the Alaskan wilderness, he rides escort on a plane when it goes down in a remote winter wasteland. Suddenly, it's a survival story, with the major threat being not themselves, but a pack of hungry wolves.
The best scene in the trailer is Neeson lying in bed with his wife under white sheets blowing in the wind when the image explodes, sucking her away and Neeson wakes up covered in snow in a blank landscape. This backstory of Neeson with a broken heart, shows signs of a dramatic thread through this action laden flick.
Since Robinson Crusoe, the survival tale has been a storytelling staple. But when it turns from a solo to a group, my favorites are Flight of the Phoenix, about a crashed plane in the desert and Pitch Black, the sci-fi version with a crashed spaceship.
Truth be told, I don't think I can watch this, because being an owner of two dogs, I can't stomach watching wolves get killed. Too close to home. But that shouldn't discourage an open mind. If the drama is effective in making more at risk with the action, then this will be a fun ride. Neeson has the vulnerability and toughness to pull it off.
Opening January 27, 2012, Verdict: Wait for the Critics
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