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Collection ID
1687
Director:
Joe Carnahan
Starring:
Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney, Dallas Roberts, Joe Anderson
Genre:
Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Studio:
Open Road Films (II)
Release date:
2011
Rated:
R
Language (Country):
English, Spanish
(USA)
Summary:
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.
My Rating:
My Review: Liam Neeson is back in a dramatic role. While he's nearly 60, he can still play in a role that's close to that of an action hero. Liam Neeson reminds me of Clint Eastwood in many ways. His style is very similar, he's a loner, an under-spoken champion of the lost cause. The last stand between order and chaos. Here he stars in a man vs the elements story. The story isn't all that original, and some elements (the cgi) detracted from the movie in the typical way. The story - A group of workers are done with their 'shift', after a year long stint in the perpetual cold and dark of Alaska's northern frontier, it's time to head south for a little R&R, a return to civilization and a chance to rediscover everything that makes life worth living. The plane is filled with men anticipating their well deserved vacation from that frozen hell that is an oil field in the darkest coldest climate on earth. Their celebration may have started a bit too early - as the plane attempts to navigate a heavy storm, an engine fails, some panic sets in, sudden turbulence, structural failure, oxygen masks, darkness and the unspeakable happens… When the survivors gather together to stay warm, they form a clan of rugged but selfish survivors. Despite their common humanity, they are soon outmatched by the elements and one inhabitant who doesn't welcome them kindly - Wolves! The wolves in this movie are all cgi generated, and they aren't very well rendered. There were numerous times when I groaned at the blurry outlines visible against the real landscapes. One of the best parts of the movie was the actual scenery. The location shots. Unfortunately, the majority of the film is shot with close, tight, dark shots, and we don't get to see much of that fantastic and fatal landscape. The wolves in this movie are far from reality. They seemed more like creatures straight out of 'Lord of the Rings'. Some sort of demonic creatures have been summoned to kill the members of this adventuring band. Aside from the wolves, the movie did it's best to introduce tension with the other characters who oppose John Ottway (The character played by Liam Neeson is a 'Hunter' - His job was keeping the workers alive by killing wolves who tried to poach straggling or distracted workers). Ottway takes charge of the group, and does his best to keep them alive until they reach safety. He seems a shepherd of sorts, but herding sheep is far simpler than leading men. He does his best to protect these bumbling workers against their worst instincts, but human nature continually thwarts his efforts and the wolves are in their element, waiting for any sign of weakness. The character must struggle against four adversaries: The weather, climate, terrain and cold; The bickering, challenging, deadly survivors; The deadly wolves who seem to have a grudge with this group (or maybe its just Ottway?); and his own self doubts and callus attitude towards life. The film contains obvious atheism themes, and they're sometimes played a bit too heavily; this detracts from other aspects of the film. Liam Neeson was the only good reason to watch this movie. The cgi detracted from the movie in several ways, the story was predictable to the very end, the characters were highly stereotyped, and aside from the Ottway character, they were all expendable, predictable and boring (they may as well have dressed them in 'red shirts'). As a result, the producers didn't bother with a better supporting cast. Some of the camera work was worth noting, but this movie doesn't actually rise above a meager rating of 2 out of 5. The second ending - Seen part-way through the credits - knocked the movie down a notch from 3 to 2.
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