The Grey (Joe Carnahan)

[Watashi]

IMDb

[Skitch]

Dammit, did I fuck up the rating thread thingy idea already? Well if I did, my bad.

Any way, I quite enjoyed this. Exceeded my expectations and then some.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Dammit, did I fuck up the rating thread thingy idea already? Well if I did, my bad.

Any way, I quite enjoyed this. Exceeded my expectations and then some.

Nope. Just vote and rate the thread here. Discussion can still take place in the other thread as well.

[Raiders]

Actually the intent is to have this be the only discussion thread for the film. The Upcoming threads are to be closed once the film is released and a thread created here and if desired, we can link to the Upcoming thread in the first post.

I will move Skitch's post to this thread.

Also, not to be too demanding, but please keep the title of the poll as the name of the film and the votes to a simple yay and nay. This has to do with the database and how I run queries if and when we create a master tally thread.

[Ezee E]

So... spoilers can be posted here without tags then? Whereas in the upcoming thread they should still be there. Right?

Gonna see this for sure.

[Winston*]

I think there should be spoiler tags here too.

[soitgoes...]

Yeah, I think there should always be spoiler tags.

[Skitch]

Actually the intent is to have this be the only discussion thread for the film. The Upcoming threads are to be closed once the film is released and a thread created here and if desired, we can link to the Upcoming thread in the first post.

Good. I really like this system. No need to move my post, sir.

[MadMan]

The Gray strikes me as a potential Raiders movie for some reason. Some of the good buzz this movie is getting makes me consider it as a strong rental. Plus of course Liam Neeson punching wolves.

[TGM]

So whoever said this movie was stunningly good, they weren't lying. Even with my increased expectations, this movie still surpassed them. Really, really legitimately good movie.

[Henry Gale]

Yup, really intense, emotionally gripping and overall just very well made. But I also liked Smokin' Aces and The A-Team just fine, so maybe I'm not as shocked as others that Carnahan's work here is as enjoyable as it is.

I was aware of the movie being promoted for a long time, but I went in only having seen a single TV spot and a short clip from a talk show. I'm so glad I avoided anything else (although mostly accidentally), because I was pretty shocked when my friends told me after the movie what the trailers showed.

[Fezzik]

This was pretty freaking great. Neeson is the badass of badasses, but the violence was brutal and the psychology and philosophical questions were pretty interesting.

It was much more than I expected it to be from the trailers.

That is a very good thing.

[Watashi]

Yeah, the trailer shows the final scene of the movie. It tempered the emotions of that scene a bit.

The film's only real flaw is that keeps flip-flopping between a standard horror film and a psychological drama. I could have dealt with less of the former. Though beyond that, it's pretty great. It definitely makes up for the horrendous Smokin' Aces.

[Adam]

I was a bit drunk when I saw this so I don't 100 percent trust my opinion, but I was also consistently impressed by how assured it felt throughout. Why is it a flaw to flip-flop between psychological and physical horror? How are those mutually exclusive? Anyway it worked best for me as a showcase for Liam Neeson. Even in the goofiest movies, that guy has such a presence to him. More of these types of films should star big hulking Irishmen constantly looking off into the distance giving wry, knowing half-smiles

[transmogrifier]

Mixed, slightly more to the negative side, because it's all just a little too blunt and ragged on the surface, but pure factory-product underneath.

[

Show Spoiler

A more miserablist Final Destination, basically.

]

[Dukefrukem]

Yeah, the trailer shows the final scene of the movie. It tempered the emotions of that scene a bit.

The film's only real flaw is that keeps flip-flopping between a standard horror film and a psychological drama. I could have dealt with less of the former. Though beyond that, it's pretty great. It definitely makes up for the horrendous Smokin' Aces.

I agree with this and I'm glad I didnt see that particular scene in the trailer the first time around. I enjoyed this a lot, and I don't think it was particularly the Neeson factor. I loved the environment, especially plots that revolve around a snowy environment . They're rare and when they're done right can come off more realistic than usual; something about a cold environment allows for me to relate more to what is happening on screen.

Beautiful touch
[

Show Spoiler

with the wolves howling in the night and we only see their breath from the cold.

]

[Boner M]

I didn't see the trailer and knew nothing except for that Neeson punches a wolf in the film, so it was nice to only have that (and knowing of the good reviews) to go on, which combined for one of the most pleasant surprises I've had at the movies in a while. My tweet:

Hey nearly every Oscar hopeful, a January release is better than you, how does that feel. Cant remember the last studio film with such a convincing (if blunt) existential bent. Gotta admit, it actually betters MEEK'S CUTOFF in the most crucial dept

[Melville]

Cant remember the last studio film with such a convincing (if blunt) existential bent.

Yes. It's like a bleaker version of Camus' Myth of Sisyphus: a raw depiction of life reduced to its brute elements, [

Show Spoiler

where death is assured, you are invariably heading in the wrong direction, and your actions have no impact, but still the things you hold dear have meaning, even as they too are stripped from the world bit by bit, and you must struggle on, holding those dear things tight, loosing your grip on them only when it comes time to strap broken bottles to your fist and punch a wolf in the face!

]
I'm awaiting a Raiders review of this.

[Dukefrukem]

Did anyone know there's a final 2 second post-credits scene?

[

Show Spoiler

sequel :P

]

[TGM]

Did anyone know there's a final 2 second post-credits scene?

[

Show Spoiler

sequel :P

]

Yeah, the guy at the ticket booth was informing people to stick around after the credits. Never had them do that for any other movie, and this isn't one where I would have thought to expect anything afterwards.

[EyesWideOpen]

I'm glad I went and saw this before it left theaters it was fantastic.

[soitgoes...]

Did anyone know there's a final 2 second post-credits scene?

[

Show Spoiler

sequel :P

]

[

Show Spoiler

I'm not sure why you'd think that. Well actually, I suppose this is a Hollywood film, so that might be the case, but I'm not sure how the post-credits scene led you to think a sequel. For all we know Neeson could be lying there dying as well with the rest of the pack circling in closer.

]

[Dukefrukem]

[

Show Spoiler

I'm not sure why you'd think that. Well actually, I suppose this is a Hollywood film, so that might be the case, but I'm not sure how the post-credits scene led you to think a sequel. For all we know Neeson could be lying there dying as well with the rest of the pack circling in closer.

]

[

Show Spoiler

Well I thought it was pretty obvious they were suggesting he survived, but you’re right they didn’t specifically show anything. I just assume they were alluding to one of the first scenes of the movie after Neeson shot a wolf and sat by the wolf until it died. But there is also nothing to suggest Neeson wasn't dying too.

]

[Irish]

This was solid. Neeson carries it & the rest of the cast is fine, if disposable.

There's a lot of stuff here that's shallow and on the nose, but just as much that works with some depth. Thought the ending was a pretty ballsy move.

I'm curious why the studio dumped this in January, and what might have caused them to lose faith. This isn't any kind of blockbuster action picture, but as a horror/drama kind of thing it easily holds its own with any of the releases from last year.

Maybe it didn't test well?

[Morris Schæffer]

Beautiful touch
[

Show Spoiler

with the wolves howling in the night and we only see their breath from the cold.

]

The really funny thing, there's a scene in the airplane right when the stewardess closes the curtains and the camera pans back across all the seats and there was this smoke emanating from all the passengers and I thought "what the hell kinda airline is this?!" But it was their breath.

Very strong movie. I liked it. When it aims for texture, pathos and philosophy it isn't always hit, but definitely more hit than miss. I guess Joe Carnahan is back! And so awesome to have one of the dudes [

Show Spoiler

just, well, give up really. Man sits down, he's had enough. And none of the others somehow manage to get him on his feet again. Good perf from Frank Grillo.

]