Film Diary 2012 - The Grey (From The Argus)

Film Diary 2012 - The Grey

2:13pm Thursday 9th February 2012

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Thanks to the surprise box-office success of guilty-pleasure human-trafficking action-romp Taken, Liam Neeson is now 'The Man Who Punches Things', and his latest picture sees him, and a band of other survivors, going up against freezing conditions and a pack of hungry wolves, and, yes, Neeson does indeed punch a wolf.

Fortunately this wolf punch comes reasonably quickly, leaving those eagerly awaiting such man vs. animal shenanigans able to relax and enjoy the rest of Joe Carnahan's Ernest Hemingway-lite tale of survival.

Surprisingly the film is pretty enjoyable, despite being riddled with cliches and burdened by utterly predictable back-stories, it coasts along thanks to the charisma of its leading man and a decent ensemble to support him. Meanwhile Carnahan has the good sense to keep his wolves (a mix of puppets and CG) off the screen for as much as possible, which escalates the threat as the audience, like the cast, is never sure where the next attack may come from.

Likewise the use of genuine locations and weather conditions gives the film a pleasingly scruffy style and a good level of dirt and grit to the image. The biggest plaudit must go to the sound crew though, their wind effects are rough and bracing, this is the kind of film where you'll want to keep your coat and gloves on, and the noise during a particularly effective plane crash sequence is piercing and horrific.

However, a few good scenes here and there and fine chemistry between the cast, doesn't mask the fact that a lot of the film's bigger set-pieces lack tension - a cliff-set sequence in particular failed to inspire a sense of vertigo - and the film, unfortunately, ends on a scene that wobbles perilously close to utterly ridiculous, and it's almost a shame that it doesn't 'nuke the fridge' and just go all the way. Luckily though, the film's gruff message, iterated by Neeson as a mantra at one point, of "I'll do it myself!" is a giddy and silly shot in the arm and a huge relief just when you think the picture might get a little preachy or saccharine.

A fine wintry diversion, carried on the broad shoulders of Neeson and with pleasingly grounded direction from Carnahan, a welcome comeback for him after the daffy The A-Team and the disappointing Smokin' Aces.

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