The Grey

Oh my god, I was not prepared for this movie. I had seen a trailer with a plane crashing and Liam Neeson with a rifle and lots of snow. Based on this information and the title, I concocted some theory about this film being a spy thriller with the title being some reference to a moral grey zone. Boy, was I off the mark. But, I did know that before I hit play, since I had described the above to the librarian when I was checking this out, and all she would say was, "she couldn't say" and that it was a very exciting film. She was right, for sure.
This film is gritty and depressing both on a personal and on an existential level. But, it accomplished this brilliantly. It really is such a simple story, quite elegant really. It is man versus nature (I can get away with saying this because there are only male characters involved in the main story) and man versus himself as he copes with the first conflict. Rounded out with realistic dialog and reactions to the situations that present themselves, this film doesn't try to get fancy or be anything it's not.
Normally, I try to stay away from the real depressing films, but this is an exception. The reality of the situation is so closely paired with hope for the future that you can make it through this film. Even more rare than watching said films is my recommending them, but I strongly recommend this one. Sure, I'll watch anything with Mr. Neeson in it, but this one is a good one. This is one of the better films I've seen in a while.

The Grey on IMDb