The Grey

‘The Grey’

Directed by Joe Carnahan

With Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulrooney, Frank Grillo. Dallas Roberts, James Badge Dale

“The Grey” is a horror film without a Freddy Kruger, computer-generated monsters, aliens or supernatural, beings. This unsettling film has men dealing with genuine horrors that include a plane crash, subzero temperatures, icy rivers and blood thirsty arctic wolves. Who survives in such situations? What does it take to live through such rigors?

And who better to show us what it takes than Liam Neeson?

Ottway (Liam Neeson) works as a sniper who picks off wolves at an oil rig in Northern Alaska. “The Grey” opens with him ready to commit suicide. He has lost the woman with whom he is in love; he has nothing to live for.

But he is interrupted and next he is boarding a plane bound for home with a scruffy group of ex-cons and outcast workers from the rig. A terrifying scene follows as the plane crashes into the frigid arctic wilds. There remain seven survivors cowering under the protection of the fuselage. Ottway, who earlier was ready to take his own life, now marshals the men to take measures to save theirs. Not only are they threatened by bone-chilling cold and wind, hunger, and injury but also they now are in an area populated with packs of oversize, snarling wolves whose eyes glow into the night. And they have no weapons.

Director Joe Carnahan has made a film much deeper than a film about narrow escapes and death. His film looks at the circumstances that bring out the true selves of each of the men. After being confronted by the possibilities of dying from exposure, tumbling over a cliff, or being torn apart by wolves, these tough guys become reflective. They talk about their families back home. Each man has a story. “The Grey” is also about how various men struggle to survive while others give up. 

Liam Neeson is in top form in “The Grey.” He is implacable, convincingly bonding the group of survivors.  His Ottway is a mythic character.

“The Grey” reminds us that Mother Nature is a most powerful force, and not a necessarily benevolent one. It is man-versus-nature, and you know who usually wins. The viewer feels the relentless mixture of cold and terror. It never lets up.

“The Grey” is an unnerving survivalist epic with breathtaking cinematography. It is also an emotionally involving story that offers heart pounding thrills.

Incredibly Loud and Extrememly Close

Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close.

Directed by Stephen Daldry from a book by Jonathan Safran Foer

With Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max Von Sydow,

Viola Davis, Jeffery Wright, John Goodman, and Zoe Caldwell.

“Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close” is a lot of title for a film, but

it is a lot of film. It deals with the emotional convolutions of a 9-year-old boy in the aftermath of 9/11. 

Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) is a brilliant but quirky boy who has a close and engaging relationship with his devoted dad, Thomas (Tom Hanks), a jeweler. Oskar probably has Asperger’s syndrome, and his dad makes up games and riddles to encourage him to interact with people. Then September 11, 2001, happened and everything changed for Oskar and untold others.

His father was in one of the towers. Oskar calls 9/11 “the worst day.”

Consumed with grief, Oskar is convinced that his father has left him a secret message when he finds a key hidden in the man’s closet. The key is inside an envelope with ‘Black’ written on it. He simply cannot deal with his dad’s death, so instead he focuses on finding the lock for the key. He finds 474 Blacks in the New York phone book.

The hyper-intelligent and insistent Oskar assiduously creates volumes of files, lists and maps.. Thus begins an Odyssey through New York’s boroughs to ask each and every Black if they know what the key fits. Nobody knows anything.

His grandmother (Zoe Caldwell) lives next door and has an elderly and secretive man renting a room at her apartment (Max Von Sydow). The “Renter” joins forces with Oskar and accompanies him on his missions. The renter is a mute who communicates with Oscar by writing. They develop a bond.

Director Stephen Daldry seamlessly directs this emotionally potent story. He is no stranger to such films, having done “The Hours,” “Billy Elliot” and “The Reader.” He understands Oskar’s desperation in trying to cope with life after having lost his anchor and biggest fan, his dad.

This is Thomas Horn’s first film. He was cast after he won Kids’ Jeopardy on TV. He holds his own against the adult actors in “Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close” and captures the intensity of his character.

Max Von Sydow is simply wonderful as the “Renter,’ and adds a touch of humor to this gut-wrenching story. Jeffery Wright is excellent as a man suffering with his own loss. Sandra Bullock does well as the mother who cannot replace Oskar’s Dad for him and suffers through Oskar’s rages towards her.

The score by Alexandre Dexplat carries the movie along.

Some will say that “Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud” is manipulative, but books are written and films are made to manipulate our emotions. Also, the ending is a bit tidy, but that really doesn’t detract from the experience of watching this film. 

“Extremely close and Incredibly Loud” will resonate with New Yorkers because they uniquely understand Oskar’s sorrow. But it will appeal to anyone who has grieved or tried to make sense of the passing of a loved one. “Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud” is a powerful and emotionally delicate film, beautifully acted and professionally produced. There is a reason why it has been nominated for Best Picture for the Academy Awards.