Alpha-male battles in the wild
Supplied Monday, 8.35pm Prime A cross between The Revenant, The Thing, Steven Soderbergh’s Solaris, Cliffhanger, and Dog Soldiers, writerdirector Joe Carnahan’s ( The A-Team, Narc) 2011 wilderness thriller is surprisingly bleak, harrowing and, at times, unrelenting (even at a drawn-out, near two-hour running time).
Based on Ian Mackenzie Jeffers’ novella Ghost Walker, the film is full of alpha-male battles and discussions on faith, fate, and potential food sources ( Alive does get a name check), with some serious male bonding happening by the end.
All this talk could have been dull, but Carnahan keeps it interesting via extensive use of intimate, close-up, almost claustrophobic shots (which also makes the plane crash one of the most gripping and personal I’ve experienced onscreen).
But where The Grey’s effect is Supplied muted is when the action hits top gear.
There’s a certain predictability about the attacks and a whiff of stale ideas and canine exploitation – it’s easy to see why it attracted criticism from the likes of Peta.
However, it’s nice to see action-man Liam Neeson getting his hands dirty in this one. There’s plenty of kicking butt and taking names (even if they are Fido and Wolfie). – James Croot