An unoriginal, occasionally predictable film, but one that stands out for its effectiveness and for its commitment to solutions that are convincing or, at least, functional.
This weekend was definitely dedicated to Alaska here at home. With this film, I saw two whose action takes place in this frigid North American state. However, the best was undoubtedly this one: not only does it have a very convincing story, it also features Liam Neeson in an extraordinary dramatic performance.
Directed by Joe Carnahan, the film is an effective survival thriller, taking into account all the qualities it presents to us and the enormous amount of rubbish that abounds in this cinematic sub-genre. It's not original, we know how difficult this is today. However, it is effective, and that is already something significant. The script starts well, introducing us to a series of characters that are not very recommendable and not worthy of sympathy, very similar to mercenaries, and introduces the danger in a convincing way through a plane crash, which only a handful of people survive. lucky people who soon become aware of the neighborhood of a pack of ferocious wolves.
In addition to providing us with a very well modeled tension and a sense of danger that makes us pay our full attention to what we are seeing, the film features Liam Neeson in yet another truly solid and committed effort. The actor is one of the safest for the roles of tough guys and anti-heroes, he has done this many times and has a track record that is enviable for any actor, so expectations were high, and he knew how to rise to the challenge. Unfortunately, I felt that the rest of the cast is not at all capable of keeping up with him, and I think it goes without saying that several character deaths are so idiotic that they become unbelievable.
The film has good production values and relies heavily on good filming and snowy landscapes, which seems to be common for films set in Alaska. It is not irrelevant to say that filming largely took place in real locations and not inside studios, and that the cast and crew really experienced the intense cold that the film leaves us feeling. Good sets and good effects make up a visually beautiful and generally well-executed film.