To jump right in, the grey is a movie about a group of men that survive a plan crash in Alaska and their struggle for survival as they are hunted by a vicious pack of wolves. Now, while that simple description does roughly cover the movie, it really does not do it full justice.
For such a seemingly simple concept, there is a surprising amount of depth to this movie. While the characters are not all that well fleshed out, the acting is quite solid so you still do manage to get a sense of them as individuals and there are some small glimpses into their lives here and there that give perspective on their motivations as they struggle to continue living.
This movie is not a fancy exercise of intricate story telling. The plot is very simple. But even so, it is striking and forceful. In the scene where the plane crashes, there's an incredibly visceral feel to it that I've not experienced in many other films. I've seen a lot of movies where they use erratic sound and jarring camera angles with frantic jump cuts to convey a sense of panic and confusion, but nothing like this. In fact, there are multiple scenes within the movie that just forced me to react because they just seemed so convincing as a result of good directing and cinematography.
To be clear: this is a movie for the guys. It's not a feel good affair and I honestly have difficulty imagining that many of the ladies would enjoy this and it is most definitely not a family film.
Oh, one final word: some people might find the ending very frustrating, if you do, make sure you stay all the way until the end of the credits. It makes a difference, believe me.
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