The Grey" could be a welcome sight for those of us panting in summer's dog days of heat and humidity: miles of ice and snow stretching way into a horizon that merges with a forbidding, indeterminate sky. But in the next second, you realize this is a desperate tale of survival, unfolding in an Alaskan no-man's land.
Directed by Joe Carnahan ("The A-Team"), "The Grey" — a nonstop, no-holds-barred action thriller conducted in 3 meters of snow and pitting the wits of a handful of men against a pack of starving wolves — is not for the faint of heart, and surely not an escape hatch for viewers looking for a little respite from reality. What you get is an unrelenting two hours of gut-wrenching suspense combined with hellish despair.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin once talked about shooting wolves from a helicopter and was mightily booed for her blatant disregard for environmentalism. But "The Grey" will have you pining for the sight of a chopper loaded with rifles.