The Grey (2012)

Don't you have a Jedi mind trick we could use, Liam?

At a glance:

We all thought it was Taken (2008) with wolves, didn't we? Based on the short story Ghost Walker by Ian Mackenzie Jeffers, The Grey (2012) is Joe Carnahan's supposed January lame duck which turned out victorious at the North American box office, deliverin its upstart distributor Open Road Films a first No.1, while in Malaysia our friends at Rainfilm (formerly Platinum Pictures) can only hope to emulate its success. We can at least be surprised at the cool alternative poster they put up at GSC Tropicana City, though other distributors should complain about how they managed some extended shows despite only sneakin, especially a Wednesday 9pm show on the eve of its general release. The film is pretty straightforward - veteran badass Liam Neeson (pic) leads a team of stranded oil rig men against some unseen wolves (animatronic puppets, live trained animals & CGI cover-ups) when their plane crashes into the middle of the cold nowhere.

Bad news on the doorstep:

This was a guy who REALLY liked the film.

It's not really an action movie but rather an adventure thriller and survival drama like The Edge (1997), though not as satisfyin. Also, it was quite the mindfuck because [spoiler to follow] the audience is on trial - if you left before the coda after the end credits, you see a different endin - and it's almost as if the film's intention is to match you with the kind of endin you deserve to see!

Reminds me of:

Alive (1993), that movie about the Uruguayan rugby team that were stranded in the Andes and had to eat each other's butts to survive. Also, the recurrent flashbacks of a woman in the film reminds me of the real life demise of Natasha Richardson, the actress wife Neeson lost to a skiiin accident.

I can't remember if I cried:

When I read about how an overzealous fan tattooed the poem from the movie onto his arm and sent it to the movie's Facebook fan page here.

Most memorable line:

The poem, of course. It reads: Once more into the fray. Into the last good fight I'll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day.

Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?

Three stars for not resortin to Twilight-type wolves and keepin the animals comfortably hidden. On a side note, there is a level of artistry in its despondent narrative. Still, I bet audiences think this movie talks too much. Can't decide how much was censored because of its choppy editin.

Trailer for the curious:

Bonus:

Here's a pic of the Malaysian poster visual bein displayed at Cathay Damansara in Malaysia, courtesy of me mate Adam. My wife thought it was gonna be a werewolf movie like Twilight.

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