The Grey (2012)
74%RT Audience Score: 61%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 8 nominations
The Grey is an exciting tale of survival, populated with fleshed-out characters and a surprising philosophical agenda
If you’re looking for a movie that will make you want to cuddle up with a warm blanket and a cup of hot cocoa, The Grey is not it. But if you’re in the mood for a thrilling survival story that will have you on the edge of your seat, then this is the movie for you. Liam Neeson delivers a stubbornly committed performance as he faces off against wolves, the cold, and some questionable writing choices. But despite its flaws, The Grey is a cut above your standard action flick, with surprising depth and a refreshing change of pace from the usual urban settings. Just don’t forget to bring a coat.
Production Company(ies)
Red Light Films, HBO, Cinemax Documentary Creative Visions
Distributor
Entertainment Film Distributors Ltd.
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence/disturbing content including bloody images, and for pervasive language
Year of Release
2012
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Datasat Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 57m
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 27, 2012 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2012
Genre(s)
Adventure/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney, Dallas Roberts, Joe Anderson, Nonso Anozie, directed by Joe Carnahan, written by Joe Carnahan, Ian Mackenzie Jeffers, Adventure, Drama, Action, $51.5M Box Office, R MPAA rating, reviewed by Laura Kern, Tom Charity, Steven D Greydanus, Marjorie Baumgarten, James Berardinelli, Laremy Legel, Jules Daly, Ridley Scott, Mickey Liddell, produced by Entertainment Film Distributors Ltd., survival, Alaska, oil refinery, plane crash, frozen wilderness, hungry wolves, mortal injuries, icy elements, philosophical agenda
Worldwide gross: $79,781,695
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $102,856,510
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 999
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 11,216,631
US/Canada gross: $51,580,236
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $66,498,500
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 950
US/Canada opening weekend: $19,665,101
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $25,352,729
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 538
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $25,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $32,230,611
Production budget ranking: 1,118
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $17,356,184
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $53,269,715
ROI to date (est.): 107%
ROI ranking: 910
Frank Grillo – Diaz
Dermot Mulroney – Talget
Dallas Roberts – Henrick
Joe Anderson – Flannery
Nonso Anozie – Burke
Jules Daly – Producer
Joe Carnahan – Producer, Writer, Director
Ridley Scott – Producer
Mickey Liddell – Producer
Ian Mackenzie Jeffers – Writer
Director(s)
Joe Carnahan
Writer(s)
Joe Carnahan, Ian Mackenzie Jeffers
Producer(s)
Jules Daly, Joe Carnahan, Ridley Scott, Mickey Liddell
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 8 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (209) | Top Critics (58) | Fresh (165) | Rotten (44)
In the case of The Grey, less would have decidedly been more.
June 20, 2013
Laura Kern
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The Grey remains a genuinely gripping survival story and a refreshing change from stale urban action flicks.
January 8, 2013
Tom Charity
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
A thoughtful, tough-minded little tale of survival and attrition that sets its sights a bit further than its firepower takes it.
February 10, 2012 | Rating: C+
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films
TOP CRITIC
The film is an intelligent study of the will to live.
February 3, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/5
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
The Grey is about raging against the dying of the light but also about accepting it with peace once the fight has been lost.
January 31, 2012 | Rating: 3/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
Three-fifths of a solid film!
January 30, 2012 | Rating: C+
Laremy Legel
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
All this talk could have been dull, but Carnahan keeps it interesting via extensive use of intimate, close-up, almost claustrophobic shots.
March 29, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
James Croot
Stuff.co.nz
An entertaining popcorn flick for those who appreciate stark suspense thrillers.
September 9, 2020 | Rating: 3.0/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
…anyone going in wanting more than it says on the tin will be pleasantly surprised, but a little frustrated at the end product.
February 14, 2020
Jim Ross
Roobla
You have to hand it to Neeson, however. This is one stubbornly committed performance, as he faces the herculean task of defeating the wolves, the cold-and some monstrous flaws in the script.
July 29, 2019
Brian D. Johnson
Maclean’s Magazine
A tremendous film – a fierce and exciting thriller that sets the bar high in a very young year. It’s Neeson’s best film in a long, long time.
June 8, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mattie Lucas
The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)
This is a film that has surprising depth. There is a lot going on underneath the rigid exterior, making The Grey a cut above standard action fare.
May 7, 2019
Micheal Compton
Bowling Green Daily News…
Plot
In Alaska, a team of oil workers board a flight home; however, they cross a storm and the airplane crashes. Only seven workers survive in the wilderness and John Ottway, who is a huntsman that kills wolves to protect the workers, assumes leadership of the group. Shortly after they learn that they are surrounded by a pack of wolves and Ottway advises that they should seek protection in the woods. But while they walk through the heavy snow, they are chased and attacked by the carnivorous mammals.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for The Grey.
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