DJ's Review - THE GREY

It's not Taken but it's close...

Liam Neeson pairs up with writer/director Joe Carnahan (Smoking Aces, A-Team, NARC) for a good ol' man vs beast thriller.  Neeson and his lovable band of misfits find themselves stranded in the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash.  They must struggle to survive against the elements and a ferocious pack of wolves.

Neeson delivers exactly the kind of performance you would expect, which is by no means a bad thing.  He's not the biggest guy, or the most muscular, but there's just something about that Irish accent and fierce attitude that make you really believe in him as a bad-ass.  The supporting cast is rather mediocre, but that's not a major issue since Neeson's character is the sole focus of the movie.

Carnahan does a good job developing the tension from the beginning and maintaining it all the way through.  Once the action gets going it never really lets up which helps to make a 2 hour long movie seem much shorter.  There are a series of "startling" moments which do tend to annoy after a certain point, but the execution is otherwise well done.  While there's no fantastical elements to the movie, it's not entirely realistic either.  Those of you who obsessively watch Animal Planet may have a hard time suspending your disbelief.

Overall I'd rank this movie up towards the top of the "good, not great" category.  I saw it in theaters and certainly do not regret spending the $9 to see it.  I'll probably even watch it again when it comes out on DVD.  *4 out of 5*