Liam Neeson and a bunch of roughneck oil riggers go down in a plane crash in the frozen Alaska wilderness in "The Grey."
Neeson plays John Ottway, a loner and the alpha dog, of sorts, among the surviving men of the crash. They are forced to stay together to battle the elements and a pack of wolves set on making them the next meal. A supporting cast includes Dallas Roberts as the smart sensitive guy, Dermot Mulroney as the sad dad missing his kid, and Frank Grillo as the hothead. They face frostbite, wolf bite, drowning, and falling from great heights. Harsh outcomes for both man and beast.
In the middle of this life-or-death situation there's time for conversation among the men. We get to know their back story and learn that they are not simply a group of victims. Neeson's Ottway character is of course the most complex. On the brink of suicide just before the crash, he now clings fiercely to life itself.
"The Grey" is a delightful surprise. Director Joe Carnahan does a good job of not tipping his hand about who's living and who's dying. The wolves were at times a bit over the top with the computer-generated imagery look—but overall, not a bad film.
So the flick-o-meter gives "The Grey" three out of five.
It's a decent adventure tale. It seemed to me to be a bit too digitally enhanced. A CGI snowstorm is OK, but giant hulking CGI wolves? Not so much.
Showtimes: Catch "The Grey" at the at 11:55 a.m., 1:25 p.m., 2:55 p.m., 4:25 p.m., 5:55 p.m., 7:25 p.m., 8:55 p.m. or 10:25 p.m.
Dinner: What better complement to a brutal, man-against-the-elements flick than a thick slab of red meat? offers a steak dinner complete with sides, wine and dessert for $38 for two on the weekends, or $36 for two during the week.
