John Ottway (Liam Neeson) works for an Alaskan oil refinery. He can't stand the men he works with, many of whom are ex-cons; they strike him as dull, stupid, and violent. He includes himself in their number given the fact that he walked out on his beautiful wife long ago and has nothing left inside him except a sea of regrets. Ottway gets so depressed one night that he tries to commit suicide with his rifle but the howling of a wolf stops him from pulling the trigger.

When the plane carrying him and other workers crashes in the frigid wilderness, only six others survive. At first they think that the struggle they face is one of finding water, food, and firewood in the wintery and wind-blown landscape. But when a pack of large and angry wolves surround them, Ottway realizes that they have invaded the wolves' territory and these wild animals will do all they can to protect their homeland.

This introverted and depressed man takes over the leadership of the group by talking one of the young survivors through his death with peace and dignity. Another oil worker is half devoured by the wolves while on watch during the night. Ottway decides that they should abandon this site and walk to the trees in the distance. The angriest and most cynical man (Frank Grillo) in the group challenges his decision and criticizes his leadership abilities. But all to no avail. When they reach the new place where they will set up camp, they are disappointed to see that the wolves are determined to take them out, one by one.

Director Joe Carnahan directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Ian Mackenzie Jeffers based on the short story "Ghost Walker" by Jeffers. This survival story lacks the sustained drama of Deliverance, a classic in this genre. Shot in the wilds of British Columbia, the setting is perfect for the spiritual underpinnings of the unfolding drama. Only one man is willing to say a few words in a ritual goodbye to a fallen comrade. And when Ottway reaches the end of his rope, he asks for help from God and then curses him for his absence.

A spiritual reading of the story is that this suicidal man should be grateful that he got what he asked for in the beginning of the story: a chance to do something worthwhile with his self-described worthless life. His survival skills are a great comfort to the men and his knowledge about wolf behavior helps them understand why they are being attacked and what they can expect. In the end, Ottway comes truly alive while in a wilderness prison of death and destruction, and that is a great blessing!


Special features on the Two-Disc Blue-ray/DVD Combo include a commentary by director/co-writer Joe Carnahan and editors Roger Barton and Jason Hellman; and deleted scenes.