Existential action movies are a rare thing. Another one I would highly recommend is Runaway Train with Jon Voight. I don't think anyone's reacted to that one yet, but it's great.
It might partly be dealing with the inevitability of death, but the message to ME was that here was a man who had no reason to continue to live and he still decided that HIS meaningless life was worth fighting for. There was no one else left to save. With no purpose in living, he still fought to live. That's a different kind of courage than people expect from an action movie. That's why the film is so underappreciated.
Another addition, the wolves were more of an allegory for death . Also Liam had just lost his wife before this film was made so alot of his emotions were raw and real.
The only disappointment I have with it, is that somewhere the footage of Liam Neeson fighting a wolf actually exists but the director insists on withholding it. Otherwise this movie is a fantastic watch.
the transition from the dude seeing his daughter after he fell from the tree then getting his faced chewed off got me sooooo off guard the first time i watched this
Ooof....just went to start the reaction and I haven't seen this movie in, I don't know, a decade...but that specific scene you're talking about...I vividly remember that. Stays with you, that one. Very well done, but man...
@@nattyboh2944 Just cause it goes from a moment of peaceful serenity and surrender to death then to straight up carnage. It doesn't really hit you till the transition and the weird thing is you know he is being eaten
Absolutely. Your mind doesn’t process it as a brutal thing at first though because of the touching moment while he “sees” his daughter. And I mean, with the awful way he not only hit that tree full force, but they made a point of showing the impact on all the branches…we knew he’d never survive even just from that. Still though, giving us the moment with the daughter sort of tricked our brains into peace for those couple of seconds. Then immediately back to brutality. Skillfully done.
This is one of my all time favorite movies. “Once more into the fray. Into the last good fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day.” I’ve been living by this for years. So glad to see you react to this. There is actually an end credits scene. It shows the Alpha and Ottway both taking their last breaths. It’s quick. But they both died.
Yea. I just never watched through the credits all the way. Now I gotta sit and watch it all the way through again….. darn lol I have to watch a great movie again lol
300, Gladiator, Troy, Die Hard, yada yada, etc. etc. This dude exhibits love for his family, compassion, level-headedness, and grit among other traits. “Once more into the fray. Into the last fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day.” This is the MANLIEST movie I’ve ever seen!
There is an end credits scene to this movie. It is ever so brief, but it shows Neeson's head resting on the belly of the wolf as it breathes its final breaths, suggesting he did in fact take the beast out, though they are both obviously going to die.
They're hunting grounds span 300 miles in any direction of the den. They unfortunately went directly towards the den instead of out. Liam neesan thought it would be good to hit the trees to escape them. But he inadvertently went directly to the den and got everyone killed. I think based off this questionable logic Liam neesan was more wolf than man after his whatever origin story, and his instinct was to return to the den for safety. Only to Duke it out with the alpha, who recognized Liam neesan as the alpha of his "pack" of humans. Hence the ending when they went toe to toe. And I love the ending as a cut off cliffhanger. Side note: Everytime I watch this movie I can literally feel the cold environment. Even you said "oooweee it's cold out there boy." As you subconsciously rubbed your arms for warmth. I know you felt it too. And cold at this level brings out survival instincts. The wolves just needed food. The humans just needed to get out. It's a dual story told through excellent filmatography
Consider for a moment that what these characters go through is how human beings lived for most of our history - in nature, struggling against starvation and the cold, and just trying not to get eaten by anything. It was only recently (relatively speaking) that we built this comfy civilization to protect us from having to live that way.
"He lost his mind too." The black guy laughing when the other man died. He didn't lose his mind, it's actually apparently a 'disorder.' Instead of feeling sad you laugh as opposed to cry. I apparently have the same disorder, I just can't cry in front of people and instead laugh hysterically. I can cry alone but if someone is around I don't cry.
Dude, I watched this in the theatre with my wife. I've never been so happy she brings a blanket with her (because the ac is too cold). The fucking plane crash was so loud, then silence along with the cold, it felt like you were there. It was an amazing theatre experience.
When I was younger this movie would wig me out because of that death scene in the beginning. Liam Neesons character walking him through that guys passing. My dad passed when I was 14, very unexpectedly. I was with him the whole time and it reminds me of that scene. I just really enjoy Devin G's reactions too much. I couldn't help but watch
Wolves are insanely dangerous, and there are a lot of historical accounts of things like this happening. For instance, the people of Paris were terrorized by a huge pack of wolves in the 1400's. In a single attack the wolves slaughtered 40 holy men. This is an account of what happened: _"A band of holy men were leaving their duties in the chancel to seek their homes, when down on them the wolf band swept. Wholly taken by surprise were the victims, and wholly unarmed. In twenty minutes all were dead. The wolf pack reveled for an hour; then gorged with human flesh, they fled by the river gap that let them in. Before the terrified burghers could spread the alarm and assemble worth-while help, forty human beings were killed and partly devoured in this dreadful raid. Not a single wolf was slain."_ 40-0. lol. Wolves don't play.
Oh damn, this is a personal favorite, in my top ten easily. Most viewers/critics dismissed this as a simple survival film, but its heavy existential subtext about life and humanity struggling against nature and death is fantastic. This is one of the most "real" (as they say) films you'll ever see. Also, Neeson's performance here is just stunning. It's hard for me to watch this film even though I adore it.
Fuck yeah!! Love this movie. Probably my favorite Neeson film. Wish more reactors would see it. It's a shame when it came out, everyone was disappointed because it wasn't "taken with wolves," as the trailers seemed to suggest. Personally I was able to see it's much deeper themes and even learned about some others later on down the road.
Director and co-writer Joe Carnahan talked about the ending and said "I think it's like, you have to decide for you: Is it a movie about a man living and dying or is it a movie about a man fighting a wolf?" Carnahan said. "Because I think it is incidental, at least in my mind, compared to the great questions that it creates in the end."
Towards the end when Liam is alone and he’s having the vision of his wife saying “don’t be afraid”, that’s when i busted out crying. This movie is so deep for me
"Once more into the fray..." is what I say every time I need to centre myself whenever things get chaotic and to try and channel that survivor spirit to push. It saved my life.
I saw this in the theaters and when it was over every single person in there was mad. The trailer and who,e movie built up to a fight with the wolves and right before credits role.
One of the few films I have watched more than once. Simple, well acted and shot, thrilling from beginning to end, and with some beautifully emotional beats.
I've got lots of favourite movies but this is one of my favourite favourite movies. Its a real man's movie and it's beautiful. And holy mother that scene at the end when he's getting ready for the fight, that put hairs on your chest. This is like 300, go into it a boy, come out of it with your balls hanging down by your knees!!!! I'd advise looking for a few video essays here on RU-vid, they delve into the philosophy behind the movie. There's one in particular about the philosophy of heroic suffering that's worth a watch. In my eyes it's a modern masterpiece.
Massively underrated film which didn't get many good reviews when it was released but also one of my favourites. Great reaction Dev, you are one of the few that have reacted to this, bravo sir 👊🇬🇧
Roger Ebert gave it a great review, 3.5 out of 4 stars. He also said it so deeply affected him that he was unable to review the movie he was scheduled to review right after it.
I love the initial reactions that you have and then how further analysis is of how you redacted to scenes yourself. Great fucking content. Aloha from Hawaii
The result of the ending fight wasn't important, what was important was Liam was standing up to face his demons. Live and die on this day. The wolves were an allegory for pain, grief, inner demons.. that's why they didn't really resemble normal wolves, they were darker, more monstrous. Most people that hated this movie thought it was a dumb man vs wolf film, but in fact it was an extended metaphor and a very effective one too, under-pinned by a moving piano score and a fantastic performance from Liam who like his character had also recently lost his wife making it even more poignant and moving.
There's a post credit scene :) Great movie, I live in the country in Northern(ish) Canada and I get to hear those almost every night, pretty amazing, only seen one up close walking a big black one, yellowish eyes and was huge the thing was jacked, looked at me for maybe a minute, then walked away, I had to change my shorts after that was pretty freaky
One of my favorite movies. The acting amongst the actors was top notch. Liam should been nominated for best actor for this role. The connection between the characters; the survival instinct just isn't enough, when they knew they were outnumbered, and out hunted. Dealing with death thruout the entire movie...such a strong story.... Nature wins.
I don't know if other people would be interested, but one of my personal favourite movies and extremely underrated, is 'Master and Commander: The far side of the world (2003)'. I would love for you to see this movie, but of course no worries if you're not interested or others aren't interested to see a reaction. It's a naval movie set during the Napoleonic wars, from a British crew's perspective, based on the books by Patrick O'Brian. Keep up the great videos, love you're attitude and outlooks.
@@thedrizzle06925 You don't think Master and Commander is underrated? It is one of the best films I have ever watched and I have only ever met a handful of people who have even heard of it. So I suppose to those who have seen it, it isn't underrated, but it is not as widely acknowledged as I believe it should be, is what I meant.
Now u have to watch "The Edge" & "The Shallows" The Edge (1997) (Bear 🐻) The Grey (2012) (Wolves 🐺) The Shallows (2017) (Shark🦈) All 3 films are basically like a unofficial "Apex Survival" trilogy considering they all got the same plot & are alike in more than one way!!!! First of all , they all have the word : "The" in the titles & second, they all are literally about being stranded in the wild with a different type of Apex predator animal that's stalking & hunting them through out the entire film💯 The Edge is by far the best out of the 3 but this one is equally good in its own ways & the third film "The Shallows" is also worth watching 💯 "Black Water" (Crocodile 🐊) is also another film just like the other films but it's actually based on a true story only it's not a major motion picture like the other 3 films & it doesn't have any famous actors in it but it definitely is extremely realistic & belongs right next to the other 3 films as well!!!!! U will enjoy all of them I promise u that!!!!!
There was another gator movie free on youtube. Rogue (2007) I saw it and people also talking about Black Water in the comments. It felt more like a 'monster' croc movie and worked well. Dunno If I'd put it in the survival your talking about as people compared to Anaconda and Lake Placid as well as Black Water. Near realism as there have been giant crocs in nature and the hero ending 'slaying the dragon' part of the monster movies genre. If we go a bit further into monster there is Deep Blue Sea and Sharknado.
@@jayeisenhardt1337 black water is based on a true story & they used a actual real croc for most of the scenes & the croc is big but not ridiculously "Hollywood" big like most Croc movies are so it's extremely realistic & it was definitely a Apex/survival film cuz it's based on a real incident involving a Apex predator just like the other 3 films I named!!!!!!
He also lives through the fight! If you had the DVD and you went to bonus features or something (can't remember) it shows him running as the background image and he has those makeshift knuckle weapons on his hands
As I was watching this movie in theaters for the time, my thoughts were this. No one survived the crash. All dead. These men were riff raffs with no shot at redemption. This was each man personal journey into hell after their deaths in the crash.
Love that movie - we should all be lucky to go out like that. The real fight was his willingness to live - and to let go, love your fate. Ending was amazing - you might like a movie called the 'Northman' - great film.
You don't need to see the ending to know how it ends. He was soaking wet from the cold water with no way to build a fire. He'd be dead in under an hour either way. But he had one good fight left in him, so his life wouldn't be wasted. He didn't have to win, as long as the wolf doesn't either.
The movie is theme heavy. It's about being a man. The wolves weren't real and were mechanical. They were meant to look menacing but not real. The actors and the director talked at length about the movie. It was made for men. Every one of those characters were a version of Liam Neeson's character (doppelgangers). The movie is about being a man. All the weak characters were killed off. The men worried about their own mortality and limitations and missing the comfort of someone who made their lives easier...... that all gets put away. "Live and die on this day..." Literally this man's woman is dying and she is telling him not to be afraid. He's afraid of being alone, of pain, of getting into fights with others, of toil, and of death. But in the end, he puts that all away and "Lives and dies on that day" making use of his environment. That moment when he is no longer afraid and straps up to deal with the alpha wolf.........that's the point. His change from being afraid and wanting to run to "Living and dying on this day" and dealing with that alpha wolf. That was the whole point of the movie. That's why it ended there. He died. But he died fighting. He lived and died on that day. He didn't stop living because he was to die that day. He fought. He kept living until his life was taken. Why didn't the wolf attack immediately? Why do the wolves look so unreal? It's NOT about the wolves. It's about what the wolves represent. The phantom menace: the imagined threat; the fear of that (fill-in the blank) moment.
When I first watched this, it was a hot, humid summer day. Throughout the rest of the movie after the plane went down, I felt tempted to put pants and a sweater on.
Important to remember tho, wolves arent actually like this. Theyre just like any other animal, they hunt to eat, and generally dont prefer humans unless we happen to look like prey in a occasional scenario. Even then, theyre just hungry, not mean. Theyre meant to serve as an allegory in the movie. 😉
I totally misread the title, I though it said "The Greyman" haha my fault, great reaction yeah this movie is solid. Every movie just about with Liam is awesome.
Great reaction to a very underrated movie....this is actually quite ironic that you reacted to this movie because at this time I'm going through alot of heartache so... "Once more into the fray"
There was no Big Fight at the end because a Northern Timber Wolf against a Man with broken bottles is Over... The Glass will not even go through the skin of the Wolf... That is a One Good Bite and it is over!
Great video, as usual. Personally, I've never been a fan of The Grey. It's not a bad movie by any means, but the behavior of the wolves is so unnatural it takes me out of it. Not that they can't be dangerous, but it's pretty rare for them to attack people. Moose scare me more than wolves, especially during rut.
@@thechad4485 a perfectly valid point. Luckily, as far as Jaws, people's opinions of sharks are swinging the other way, even the writer regrets the damage and worked hard to undo it. The Revenant is pretty accurate, as far as the Grizzly is concerned. Sadly, wolves are still demonized to the extreme, and movies like this don't help much. There are people who genuinely want their extinction.
After the end credits there is a short seen of the wolf shallowly breathing with John's unmoving body laying on top of it. There are also pics that make John's fate abundantly clear
You gotta remember. These aren’t American wolves. These are Siberian wolves. They can be twice; if not 3 times the size of our wolves and way more aggressive. They have to be in that environment,
The marketing for this movie really did it a disservice. The trailers all showed the climactic final shots with Liam Neeson squaring off with the glass shards taped to his knuckles. Clearly the studio wanted to get in on some of that "Taken" money as that gave the false impression that this was going to be a fun, hokey, Liam Neeson action vehicle. I remember seeing this in the theater and enjoying it. When I talked to people (who had not seen it) about it afterwards: "Pfff you mean that movie where Liam Neeson boxes a wolf?" Now I'm not telling anyone how to feel about how this movie was executed, as that's really subjective. I do at least feel confident in telling people what it's aiming to be: A survival thriller in the context of a protagonist who has all but given up on life, and a portrayal of grief versus the instinct to live. How well it succeeded is up to each person who watches it. I thought it did.
Hi Devin G. I'm so very glad you had reacted to this movie. My personal favorite. The tree part gets me very emotional every single time. There was an end credit secen but it wasn't much to look at. Your my top favorite movie reactionists. I'd like to recommend one if I may & that would be Jurassic Park please, consider it at least. Thanks for cheering me up among manyothers that follow you. Keep making great content. Until your next reaction.
They cut it off because he's going to get eaten. Lol Even if he beats the alpha the other wolves are going to jump on him.... If they somehow didn't and he isn't injured enough to die of blood loss he's gonna freeze to death. He's dead...this is just about how he faces death.
If you like the man vs. nature genre, I also highly recommend The Ghost and the Darkness, a movie based on a true story about two lions that go on a killing spree in 1800’s Africa. If you were to do it, you’d be the first reactor to do so, I believe; haven’t seen anybody else react to it to date.
At the very end of the credits it comes back on and shows the guy resting his head on the black wolf, both breathing slowly but nobody ever watches the credits till the end.
There is a Joe Rogan podcast on RU-vid where he has some hunters on describing how they accidentally walked into a wolf den. It is pretty wild to listen to how they fought for their lives, wolves and bullets flying everywhere lol.
This movie is so damn good. I think it got a bad wrap because people thought it was going to be 'Taken' with wolves but it's really more of a drama thriller. Did you stay after the credits?
What the wolf didn’t know is the Liam had a particular set of skills….. (I copied that from another guy’s comment on another video). I thought it was hilarious and epic!
Wow! To live and die on this day. Is a very interesting way to look at life. Probably more accurate for a soldier, but could be for any hard working man. I really appreciate your commentary on this. It can be tough to deal with such topics. There are several child weather films to try, if you haven't seen them if course. Vertical Limit is more of a drama than this one but it's ending is both moving and inspirational. As is Everest a true story about, well, Mt. Everest and early climbers. Until then take care and have fun.
Hey Devin! I just want to say I've been really appreciating your reaction videos. You're really entertaining and you've got some interesting takes on a lot of great movies. Watching your videos makes the days a little more bearable. Keep up the good work, don't be discouraged, and if you're still seeking suggestions maybe try Rocky II or Scarface. Thanks!
Love your vids...and love your commentary... Constructive criticism...dude...the ratio of commentary volume vs. footage volume...good Lord! I'm sitting here trying to adjust to listen to your thoughts but I think I've woke up not just everyone in my building but the whole fucking block every time movie footage comes on! Is this a one off or the way shit from here out is gonna be filmed?
The movie wasn't about the big fight, or the wolves. The wolves represented death coming for all men. And each man came to their end in their own different way with their own fight or surrender.
