The Grey
Directed by Joe CarnahanFollowing a grueling five-week shift at an Alaskan oil refinery, workers led by sharpshooter John Ottway are flying home for a much-needed vacation. But a brutal storm causes their plane to crash in the frozen wilderness, and only eight men, including Ottway, survive. As they trek southward toward civilization and safety, Ottway and his companions must battle mortal injuries, the icy elements, and a pack of hungry wolves.
The Grey Ratings & Reviews
- ርልዪረFebruary 3, 2025Seven men led by suicidal John Ottway (Neeson) try to survive in the Alaskan wilderness after their plane crashes. A wilderness of extreme weather and hungry grey wolves... A lot of people didn't get the film they were expecting when they trundled into the theatres to see The Grey. With a shifty advertising campaign suggesting it was an action adventure movie, one where fisticuffs with wolves was a draw card. What resides in Carnahan's movie is however very different from those expectations, for The Grey is a deep movie, a profound movie in fact, one of mythical leanings, strong in philosophical outlooks and spiritualisation, a meditation on grief as well. That it is also an excellent survival thriller is a bonus, so make no bones about it, the film deserved the $50 million profit it made; even if a lot of those original ticket buyers were kind of duped into the theatre admission! Undeniably the film packs a big emotional punch, you have to expect that to some degree, because only the most virginal of film fan wouldn't be expecting deaths in this type of film. But there is a strong affinity to the group dynamic here that really pulls the mature viewer in to the fold. Early on you think it's standard stuff, one of the guys is a macho a-hole, one of them is cowardly etc etc, but with each passage in the story the mood and characterisations change. Introspective analysis comes into play, conversations spin to a higher level, and with Carnahan smartly able to make us feel their isolation, their terror, their conflicts and will to survive; even if that will simply will not suffice, it's very much a picture that gets under your skin and into your brain for all the right reasons. Led by a powerhouse and intense Neeson performance (who better to have on your side in such circumstances?), with Mulroney also excellent, film is perfectly photographed by Takayanagi on location in British Columbia. His photography at times does blend beauty and terror, but mostly it keeps it harsh in colour tones as the cold bites hard and the peril of the journey unfolds. The ending undoubtedly will infuriate many, in the same way as it has proved divisive with those who have already seen it (for the record I love it, think it's perfect, even in conjunction with the ambiguous end of credits mini-coda), while some of the Wolf effects are at times iffy. But all told, this is one of the unsung treasures of 2012, a film of unexpected depth and boasting a myriad of cinematic pleasures. 9/10
- Astralpb13November 12, 2025Liam is the man! I highly recommend this movie if you’re into wolves and survival.
- Walter Jospeh KovacsOctober 24, 2025Solid performances (esp. Neeson), emotional and really up there with the best of the man vs wild survival horror films. So many men undertake such dangerous work in such isolated parts of the world. The film really grants an insight into how brutal this lifestyle is and yet how beneath the dysfunctional machoism and bar brawls, the real strength of manhood is that resilient determination to survive adversity.
- musasoftlabx2d agoStory - 0.5/2 - Too many plot holes for me. Was there any need for the whole plane scene? Could have been achieved much better if the survivors were friends going for an excursion by road and swept by ice storms. First, it's difficult to have too many survivors in such a plane crush, most of them unharmed. Second, where did the shotgun shells come from yet they were travelling by plane? Three, a realistic idea would be to stick inside the plane and wait for rescue. Planes are heavily monitored so rescuers could be there even if in a week. Why would u go into the wasteland? Don't the wallets and wife's letter ever get wet? Why are the wolves following them everywhere and always ready in place even in Diaz's and Talget's scene? How did Henrick make that jump and climb up the tree and fix that tough knot with all the exhaustion? Where did they get the clothes to tie the knot? Ottway collects jet fuel in the water bottle and used it create fire when being pursued by wolves. Is that how jet fuel would ignite? like a regular matchstick? Screenplay - 0.5/1 - Allowed for some level of suspension but ended up not rewarding in the long run. Visuals - 0/1 -The 4K video quality is disappointing. Not very crisp despite the high bitrate of 93Mbps. Too much grain especially in the snow areas. I've seen better restorations. Sound - 1/1 - The audio engineers tried for sure. The sound pans across speakers especially the wind whistles and wolf growls despite it being a 5.1 surround mix. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Overall - 2/5. I'll delete this from my 4K library. Not rewatchable for me. Really had high hopes being a Liam Neeson fan. Seems his worst rated movies are my best and best rated my worst.
- Pascal Bollier3d agoi do not know why it took me so long to watch this one. it is a very good movie. yes, its a ten little indians movie but so what? there is tension, good performances, effective direction. the main protagonist even has an arc, which is a plus :-). the cgi wolves are not the best, but they don't have to be, it's more than sufficient because its not really about them. highly recommended!
- Bradford WadeDecember 20, 2025Saw this in theaters expecting yet another Liam Neeson action movie. I've seen it several times since then. I cannot recommend this movie highly enough.
- Cubane5d agoKeeps one's attention, but fails to reward it with any kind of payoff or closure.
- MR_BigTimeDecember 13, 2025Administered like a slow-dripping serum to prolong the inevitable just long enough and with iconic performances all around, The Grey will keep you hanging on the edge of your seat right up until the end... and then some.
- Kasper2033December 6, 2025Kept your attention though I would have liked to see more closure at the end
- brianso11December 4, 2025Didn't like the ending!! Cliff hanger!!
- hankma7November 27, 2025great movie, neeson always have good movies
- Kenn WildesNovember 23, 2025Wolves do not kill people. Although it’s reasonably well made in its production, this premise just ruins the movie for me.
- BrettNovember 8, 2025Movie was good. Ending sucked.
- CoougeSeptember 16, 2025Felt like watching the paint dry. Something was building up but it ends up nothing.
- M08YJuly 19, 2025For what I thought was a generic Liam Neeson movie, I am SERIOUSLY impressed. The Grey is nothing like the usual Liam Neeson movies we've all come to know. Not even close. This is a story about what happens to a group of men on the brink of death. It shows us how different people react to finding themselves in a situation they never thought they'd be in. It shows us how they proccess being surrounded by death on all sides and how they come to terms with the fact that their outcome is so bleak. Holding onto hope it turns out is not something everyone can do and by the end of the movie, you realise that the lucky ones died in the plane crash. Overall I was very impressed with The Grey and would love to see it on a 4K bluray. This film is now sitting comfortable in my top 3 Liam Neeson lead movies.
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The Grey Trivia
The Grey was released on December 11, 2011.
The Grey was directed by Joe Carnahan.
The Grey has a runtime of 1 hr 57 min.
The Grey was produced by Ridley Scott, Joe Carnahan, Jules Daly, Mickey Liddell.
The key characters in The Grey are John Ottway (Liam Neeson), Jerome Talget (Dermot Mulroney), John Diaz (Frank Grillo).
The Grey is rated R.
The Grey is an Action, Adventure, Drama film.
The Grey has an audience rating of 6.1 out of 10.