Quadruple Bill Mini Musings: Wolves, Muppets, Hoover, and Pirates...

The Grey:
What's it about?
A handful of Alaskan oil workers survive a plane crash that leaves them stuck in the frozen wilderness surrounded by wolves - and so they must head south, hunted every inch of the way.
Who would I recognise in it?
Liam Neeson, Dallas Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, James Badge Dale, Frank Grillo.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Director Joe Carnahan burst onto the scene with his tough and gritty cop drama Narc, and then went on to breezier and more bombastic fare like Smoking Aces, and The A-Team, however the serious heart behind Narc was always lingering in the background with a dramatic sense of flair. With man-versus-nature action drama The Grey, Carnahan has allowed himself to show his maturing and more serious heart - there's even a poetic sensibility weaved throughout the film that speaks of loss and those raw emotions that are buried to ensure your day-to-day survival. This all said, action fans will still get their fill as a dwindling rabble of bearded, half-frozen men face-off against ravenous wolves - at one point going all MacGuyver and fashioning 'bang sticks' out of tree branches and shotgun shells. The Grey is a tense, gripping and altogether very strong outing from all involved - Neeson and his cast sink their teeth into the material which allows back stories to unfold in subtle snippets of dialogue, hallucinations, and slowly-unveiled memories. There's no shortage of action flicks out there, but while rambunctious outings such as Safe House ultimately prove to be forgettable, The Grey goes for something deeper, more satisfying, and far more memorable. Easily one of the best action/drama/survival films of the last several years, although some might not agree. Stick around to the very end of the credits for an extra snifter of footage, too. Generally pretty great.

Click "READ MORE" below for Muppets, Hoover, and Pirates...