The Grey

In my eyes, Liam Neeson is a pretty huge star. Anything the Irishman does is sure to be entertaining, even if it's surrounded by terrible nonsense. For example, "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace," need I say more?

The guy is a bona fide bad--- and can scare the living hell out of anyone and anything. If you doubt anything I've just stated, just go watch the extremely simplistic "Taken" and you're sure to understand.

Neeson reteams with vet action director Joe Carnahan ("Narc," "Smokin' Aces," "The A-Team") to lead "The Grey," which is based on the short story "Ghost Walker." It's an all-out battle of survival against Mother Nature and some pretty fierce canines. Is this a memorable experience or just another crappy movie to fill the box office in January?

"The Grey" takes a very Tarantino-like approach with its opening, which begins with the end. Neeson (Ottway) is writing a letter to the love in his life, making it seem like the end is near and she'll never even see his words. He takes out his gun, counts his bullets and kills a wolf.

Noticing only one more bullet is left in his possession, he places the gun in his mouth and we flash to Ottway boarding a plane in route to Alaska. At first, it's like Carnahan is ripping off the talented filmmaker, but in due time this eventually shows to be a genius and superior decision.

A terrible snow storm causes a plane crash over the middle of nowhere. Initially, Ottway and less than 10 others survive the crash, but slowly begin to lose their numbers as a pack of wolves picks them off one by one. The only person who seems to take lead is Ottway.

You can easily see why Neeson was chosen to play the character. Even through the fear of death, he lets it be known that he has a very particular set of skills and will be using them to survive this trip gone wrong.

Co-starring with Neeson is a group of actors you probably won't recognize. They are all from television or films in which they have had small roles. This helps the film more than anything and we surprisingly get some A-list performances from the supporting players.

Carnahan fleshed out these characters to have their own backstory and heartfelt moment in which it's nearly impossible not to feel for these guys. They are as important to the film as Neeson's character, or the wolves trying to devour them.

"The Grey" is easily the best "man vs. nature" movie I've ever seen. It has you literally jumping out of your seat with each wolf attack and, more importantly, makes you feel for everyone.

Most of all, you will laugh along with this crew of men and want to cry at their unfortunate situation. It's hard to believe that this was dumped into January, as I believe Neeson could have gotten some sort of award for his performance.

Easily forgotten though is the money shot shown in the trailer. Up until this point in the film, you've completely forgotten about it. This is where Neeson goes all out Wolverine and makes himself some claws out of booze bottles.

I've been ranting and raving about seeing the film just for this one epic cinematic moment! Well, the promise of this scene actually leads to nowhere. Thankfully, though, this doesn't tarnish the film in any way. It actually leaves more to the imagination and surprisingly, earns my approval.

Neeson vs. Wolves or "The Grey," as it's formally titled, is worth more than the price of admission. It will have your mind racing, even days after viewing it. If it had been released in 2011 it would have been in my Top 5 for the entire year. I can say now it's going to be one of my favorites of 2012.