MovieChat Forums > The Grey (2012) Discussion > Could have been great with a slightly di...

Could have been great with a slightly different ending.

posted 10 years ago by Hamilton1781
25 replies | jump to latest

I am not saying Liam Neeson should have killed the wolf and walked back to civilization and gotten rescued, with a happy ending for all.

I just think they should have showed some of the fight before cutting to black. It would have fit the man-against-nature / will-to-survive theme of the rest of the movie. They could have cut it off mid-fight, both the man and wolf wounded, staring each other down, duel to the death, and then cut to credits just as they resume combat.

Instead we're left to wonder if Liam Neeson even put up much of a fight at all. Was this his way of trying to commit suicide again? Was he fighting because he was tired of running, win or lose? Too many questions.

I don't think the over-ambiguous ending was deserved or fit the overall tone of the film, which was mostly an action-adventure-thriller film with some interesting existentialism thrown in. That's the kind of ending I expect from and Ingmar Bergman drama film, not a movie that has mostly been a Liam Neeson man-against-nature action flick until the last 5 minutes.

[–] SeasonalAffective 10 years ago

I just think they should have showed some of the fight before cutting to black. It would have fit the man-against-nature / will-to-survive theme of the rest of the movie. They could have cut it off mid-fight, both the man and wolf wounded, staring each other down, duel to the death, and then cut to credits just as they resume combat.

I think that would have defeated the purpose. It would have only further frustrated those who wanted to see a fight (not being able to see the whole thing), and gone against the whole point in the first place. The point wasn't that there was a great fight; it was that Ottway fought in the first place. It wasn't necessary to show it.

Instead we're left to wonder if Liam Neeson even put up much of a fight at all.

Why do you say that? The same could be said of the wolf. One good stab to the head or neck with the knife, and that wolf was done.

Was this his way of trying to commit suicide again?

Of course not. If he wanted to commit suicide again, he would have just let the wolf attack him. Hell, he could simply have chosen to drown in the freezing water, rather than getting out and continuing his trek.

Was he fighting because he was tired of running

He was fighting because he was done for anyway and the wolf was challenging him. He was clearly on his way to dying of hypothermia or hunger. Civilization was nowhere in sight. He was exhausted and starving. He was going to die as it was. The wolf challenging him just sped things up, so he decided to stop running and fight head on.

[–] Hamilton1781 10 years ago

The ending would be great for a different kind of movie. In fact, a fight with a clear resolution would have been more fitting for the 90 minutes that preceded it. The arty "ambiguous" ending was undeserved and out of place. You can't just tack something like that on to an action picture.

[–] SeasonalAffective 10 years ago

You can't just tack something like that on to an action picture.

Agreed. This wasn't an action picture.

[–] Hamilton1781 10 years ago

Agreed. This wasn't an action picture.

Really? What was it then? If you're implying that this movie was some deep philosophical meditation on the human existence... Puh-leeze, give me a break. Though, I think the director might have thought he was doing something like that in the last 2 or 3 minutes, but it was so tonally out of place with the entire rest of the film that it felt cheap and lame.

In this case, it was clearly a cover for a botched ending. ... and some folks actually bought it!

I did some googling and it seems like that's the general consensus. And the director later claimed in interviews he filmed an "alternate" ending of Liam Neeson fighting the wolf but never intended to use it... Riiiiiight. It sounded like they weren't able to do re-shoots and what they had on film didn't work. But it at least explains why the tonal shift in the ending was so completely inappropriate and uncalled for. I feel kind of bad for the director. He has no choice but to lie about it. What's he going to say, "We shot the fight scene at the end of the movie, but it stunk. So we just decided to end the movie before it was actually over." Then he sounds like a douche bag anyway by claiming that that was how he planned it all along. It's a lose-lose situation.

[–] SeasonalAffective 10 years ago

Really? What was it then?

A mix. Mainly drama and horror, but it's not an action picture in any way.

And the director later claimed in interviews he filmed an "alternate" ending of Liam Neeson fighting the wolf but never intended to use it... Riiiiiight.

He never intended to use it at the end. There's a shot of it when Ottway wakes up in the fuselage.

It's a lose-lose situation.

Hardly. The film nearly made back triple its budget, was on scores of "Best of The Year" lists, was ravely reviewed by most critics, and for the people this movie touched (the vast majority), it really touched them.

Roger Ebert said that for the first time reviewing films in 30 years, he had to stop for the rest of the day because this film impacted him so deeply that he couldn't shake it. Carnahan, the director, said this was the best praise he could have gotten.

[–] Hamilton1781 10 years ago

Nah, I don't buy any of that. Sounds made up.

[–] SeasonalAffective 10 years ago

How so?

[–] Hamilton1781 10 years ago

Do you have any idea how many hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars it costs to create even just a semi-realistic looking animal with CGI for even just a few minutes? And, you expect me to believe that they shot an extended physically demanding fight scene that they never intended to use with the film's star, who was pushing 60 at the time, just for kicks and giggles? Please.

[–] SeasonalAffective 10 years ago

Do you have any idea how many hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars it costs to create even just a semi-realistic looking animal with CGI

Yes, several million. The templates for the wolves were already there. Carnahan was allotted 25 million dollars to budget the film with, and he did so, including the wolf fight.

for even just a few minutes?

The whole wolf fight probably didn't last more than a minute, if that. It's very quickly written in the screenplay. This wasn't Transformers.

[–] Seventy_Two_Raisins 10 years ago

Do you have any idea how many hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars it costs to create even just a semi-realistic looking animal with CGI

The scene would have been filmed and the CGI added in post production. It could be that Carnahan filmed it and never added any CGI. Okay. I'd accept what he said if that had been the case. But it was not. He filmed the fight and the CGI was added to make a complete scene. Why would he do that if he never intended to use it? Doesn't make any sense, does it? What makes sense is that the scene was completed and the CGI alpha looked ridiculously bad. That's why it wasn't used. Carnahan was just blowing smoke with that other explanation, trying to cover his ass.

for even just a few minutes?

You're right. Why would he blow a boat load of money to produce a complete CGI intensive scene if he never intended to use it? Why film it at all?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQYs1ekqQsw

I've fallen it's true, but I say to you, hold your tongues until after I've spoken.

[–] Hamilton1781 10 years ago

Carnahan was just blowing smoke with that other explanation, trying to cover his ass.

Correct. In the interview I read he seemed extremely annoyed when asked about it after a screening of the movie. He then dismissed the issue entirely and moved on to the next question by saying, "Maybe we'll include it as an extra on the DVD."... Which he didn't.

[–] DamnGumby 10 years ago

I did some googling and it seems like that's the general consensus.

A number of posters have mentioned that in the theaters there were groans and boos at the end of the film. It only got a B- Cinemascore, which is why it disappeared from the theaters so quickly. Any success it had was undoubtedly due to the star appeal of Liam Neeson and some false advertising on the part of the studio.

Then he sounds like a douche bag

Google Joe Carnahan and you'll see that your description is not that far off. The guy started out fairly hot, but he's been on a real downward spiral ever since. Putting out such dogs as Smokin' Aces, The A-Team and now The Grey. Followed by some rather public drunken rants toward anyone who crosses him. It's gotten so bad that no studio will touch his extra low budget follow up film, Stretch, with a ten foot pole. He's now working in TV ... where he probably belongs.

The Grey is a classic case of the emperor having no clothes. A film that pretends to be what it's not. Some critics were fooled, but not the audience and not the studio execs.

[–] DamnGumby 10 years ago

The arty "ambiguous" ending was undeserved and out of place.

That's because the decision to cut the last 5 minutes was decided in post production, after they had filmed the fight scene, viewed it, and decided that the best place for it was the trashcan.

You can't just tack something like that on to an action picture.

Or any film, for that matter. Ambiguous endings tend to suck unless they are carefully planned and there is a point to the ambiguity itself. In this case, it was clearly a cover for a botched ending. ... and some folks actually bought it!

[–] KingCobra686 8 years ago

I wouldnt call that an ambigious ending at all. Liam is certainly dead not long after that fight, whether he wins or not. Best case scenario he kills the wolf with one blow and is still stuck out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by more wolves. If he defeats the wolf after a longer battle he is still in the same situation but probably injured. Only other option is that he gets killed in the fight.

[–] six-shooter-143-496521 10 years ago

There is a 5 second after credits scene with the wolf laying down exhausted or dieing and Liam neeson laying with his head on wolf's belly, he is facing the other way but not moving, it's hard to tell if anyone won the fight or if either survives.

[–] Thats_A_Print 10 years ago

That end of credits thing threw me. Did they both wolf and Liam get injured in the fight to where they are both dying?.... or did Liam win and was comforting the wolf who was dying. Or was it two Alphas up against each other just wore each other out.... Or did Liam win and was now top dog so to speak. Through the entire movie Liam is the leader and the Alpha Male so it would make sense the two Alphas of each pack human and wolf go up against one another.

Wasn't this a book?.... How did the book end?....

On another note, wolf expert Chris Morgan Wildlife told me on Facebook not to believe anything they use in this movie that portrays wolf behavior. Chris Morgan said it was not factual at all.

I am curious as to what really happened in the wolf fight with Liam and did he survive. I dont' like those vague endings.

... End of line.

[–] Seventy_Two_Raisins 10 years ago

It's intentionally ambiguous.

There was a lot of discussion in the past focusing on early drafts of the script that had Ottway surviving and being rescued, and also the fact that Carnahan filmed the entire fight scene, but didn't use it, instead opting for a cut to black ending and the post credits scene.

It always seemed odd to me that so much attention was placed on the GPS watch with ultimately nothing coming of it.

I've fallen it's true, but I say to you, hold your tongues until after I've spoken.

[–] scurryman 10 years ago

(deleted)

[–] LordManhammer 10 years ago

This post-credit scene does not seem to have made it into the streaming Netflix version--is there a director's cut of the movie or something?

__ __ __
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"--Pres. Merkin Muffley

[–] six-shooter-143-496521 10 years ago

There is no directors cut that I know of.

[–] onpegasus 10 years ago

There is a 5 second after credits scene with the wolf laying down exhausted or dieing and Liam neeson laying with his head on wolf's belly, he is facing the other way but not moving, it's hard to tell if anyone won the fight or if either survives.

In the 5-second scene, if you listen carefully, you can hear a helicopter.

My take is that Neeson kills the wolf, and is rescued.

[–] doctorc1970 10 years ago

In the 5-second scene, if you listen carefully, you can hear a helicopter.

I just watched this on SPIKE as well. I don't recall that helicopter sound AT ALL from when I watched the movie on Netflix.

[–] six-shooter-143-496521 10 years ago

The sound is the raspy last breaths of the wolf, it does sound like a helicopter though, just had another quick look on YouTube

[–] lstyer-803-701535 10 years ago

Was definitely a helicopter sound. I also watched on Spike.

[–] FilmWatchingPerson 8 years ago

I liked the ending. In my interpretation, it's pretty clear what happened. I don't feel that the story is left unfinished, and I don't feel any need to see it.

We don't need to see every last detail in a story. As viewers, some things should be left up to us.

Also, people are left with some hope for the character, if that's what they want. I don't like Disney movies where the characters always win out. Life isn't like that, and fiction should be able to reflect all of life, with realism where appropriate.