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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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The Grey (Film)

by Cara Nash | February 13, 2012 12:37 | Edited February 13, 2012 12:37

An exciting and unsettling survival tale, which deftly weaves in a thoughtful exploration of mortality.

He may have played Oskar Schindler and Alfred Kinsey, but these days, Liam Neeson seems to have evolved into a tough action player with roles in such thrillers as Taken, Unknown, and the lighter romp, The A-Team. But even when playing somewhat standard action heroes, Neeson effortlessly taps into his character's soul and brings a gravitas to these roles that few other actors could. And once again, Neeson (though surrounded by a top-notch cast) is the true heart of The Grey, a thrilling, unsettling, and often lyrical survival tale.

 

The film sees Neeson reunite with his The A-Team director Joe Carnahan, and those familiar with the filmmaker's more recent efforts (like the shoot-em-up actioner Smokin' Aces) may be taken aback by this deadly serious tale about the members of an oil drilling team that find themselves stranded in the Alaskan wilderness when their plane crashes. The surviving men soon learn that, as well as facing nature's brutal elements, they must contend with a pack of terrifyingly territorial wolves. Playing the sharpshooter, Ottway, hired by the refinery to keep such predators at bay, Neeson seems the natural lead as the group set out for help...

 

While there's no escaping the fact that the narrative is headed straight toward tragedy, this tale of shared peril sees each character deftly developed so that we're invested in the action when it hits. Some may scoff at the big themes explored - there are open talks about the existence of God, and it's clearly a look at masculinity in crisis, with each man carrying his own secrets and insecurities - but the fact that Carnahan handles these heady themes so earnestly makes them no less resonant or powerful. Commendably, it's a film that doesn't try and distract you from contemplating mortality. Here, the notion of death weighs heavily, but also thoughtfully and surprisingly profoundly.