The Grey, Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy (2012)

The Grey, Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy (2012)
Cast: Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney
Writer-Director: Joe Carnahan
Studio: Open Road Films/Universal 61122974 [5/15/12]
Video: 2.40:1 anamorphic/enhanced 1080p HD
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DD 5.1, DD 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: Deleted scenes, Commentary track by Joe Carnahan, BD Live, Pocket Blu app, Ultraviolet
Length: 1 hour 58 minutes
Rating: ****(*)
A superbly-done survival movie with a perfect take-charge hero. It is extremely brutal and in-your-face and might leave many viewers with a depressed feeling. Neeson is a worker in the Alaska oil fields hired to shoot wolves in the area, but he is depressed himself and in the beginning comes close to committing suicide. The oil drillers are being flown to another location when a horribly realistic crash in the wilderness ensues. You feel almost like you are a passenger yourself on the ill-fated plane.
There are only several survivors and bodies everywhere. Neeson cannot find his rifle and the workers have no guns at all. They are immediately threatened by a pack of ferocious wolves intent on killing all of them. The snow and cold are blistering, and the survivors decide to move away from the plane wreck to some trees that might offer some slight protection. One by one the men are killed off or die. Their conversations around the campfire seem very believable and affecting, including forays into faith and fear. One of the men is belligerent about Neeson’s authority, but is soon brought into line. The CGI wolves could have been a bit more realistic – sometimes they are just pairs of glowing eyes in the dark, which is not an ineffective image. But the emphasis here is on the survival struggles of the survivors, which become more and more difficult. Neeson’s voice is perfect in his role, and the sound effects and music support the story most successfully. There are many very dark scenes which provide a difficult test for your display calibration.
—John Sunier