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Some sons of god can’t catch a break. Despite
his name and rep, Hercules – son of Zeus – is weak on film. Twice in a row.
Early in 2014 we got SyFy-worthy “Legend of Hercules,” a bargain-bin film that
underwhelmed even the lowest expectation. Now I finally caught “Hercules” –
starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and boasting Brett Ratner (“X-Men 3”) at the
helm with a $100+ million budget – and it also is a resoundingly limp flick. Ugly
CGI, flat characters, a pedestrian plot that makes H into a human mercenary
with a heart of gold (boring!) but the brains of a dumb puppy, I sat stupefied
that adults made this film. A hammy John Hurt –- the only reason to watch -- gets
to scream, “Release the wolves!” Ratner and his crap writers want us to think
Kraken, “Clash of the Titans,” I thought Hounds, “The Simpsons.” D
Bloody
good, “The Grey” pits Liam Neeson against the arctic tundra and a pack
of man-eating wolves, their eyes glowing hellfire. This is a Jack London fable,
crossed with the grisliest of survival tales and pumped with dark adrenaline
and overt symbolism. Neeson is Ottway, a soul-broken sniper for an oil
company in northern Alaska who finds redemption and more in the face of
death. At the film’s start Ottway attempts suicide. He falters. The next day
he’s on an airplane, maybe heading home to quit, we do not know, but the craft
goes down, killing dozens, save six men and Ottway. It’s in the wild that our
man finds the courage to not die, and to lead his men (including Dermot Mulroney) to safety and life. Nature, the wolves, death, and
chance stalk all the way. Neeson – hardcore, of few words -- gives the best
performance he’s dealt since “Schindler’s List,” and director Joe Carnahan
pulls out of his dumb dive (“A-Team”) to return to real storytelling on film.
Stay after the credits for a final shot that will fuel debate in some, and
leave others assured of fate and faith. A-
