Synopsis
John Ralph Ottway (Liam Neeson) works in Alaska killing the wolves that threaten an oil drilling team. On his last day on the job, Ottway writes a letter to his wife Ana (Anne Openshaw) that he plans to commit suicide. While holding the barrel of a rifle in his mouth, Ottway hears the howl of a wolf and does not pull the trigger. Upon completing the job, the team and Ottway head home on a plane that crashes in a blizzard. Ottway then sees a vision of his wife urging him to not feel afraid, a motif that recurs throughout the film. When Ottway awakens he finds one of the team, Lewenden (James Badge Dale), mortally wounded. Ottway calms him, letting him know that he is going to die, and then Lewenden dies peacefully.
Ottway sets the survivors to task collecting material for a fire. He sees a woman in apparent need of help, but discovers what he thought were her cries actually were the noises of a gray wolf who is eating her and also attacks Ottway. He is rescued by the others and explains that they are most likely in the wolves' territory. After starting a fire, the survivors take turns keeping watch. While urinating, Hernandez (Ben Bray) is killed by two wolves. The remaining survivors find his body in the morning and Ottway suggests they leave the crash site because they are wide open to attack. Diaz (Frank Grillo) questions Ottway's leadership and begins defying his orders. Before they leave, Ottway and the others remove the wallets from many of the bodies with the intention of returning them to surviving family members. Hendrick (Dallas Roberts) says a prayer and thanks to God for allowing them to survive the crash and then the survivors leave the crash site.
While hiking across the snow, Flannery (Joe Anderson) falls behind and is killed by three wolves. The remaining survivors continue on and make camp in the woods, While walking one of the members notices an ambush of wolves running at them. The group runs for the trees and begin to make a fire to keep off the wolves. There tension between Ottway and Diaz comes to a head as the survivors create makeshift weaponry. Diaz threatens Ottway with his knife, but is disarmed by Ottway. The survivors meet the alpha wolf, who sends an omega to test Diaz. However, the survivors are able to kill the wolf and eat it. Diaz cuts its head and throws it back as a symbol of defiance.
The group stops to build a campfire at night and they start a conversation. Diaz tells the group how the men who died are not in heaven and there is no god; Talget (Dermot Mulroney) states that he believes in God, but Ottway confesses that he too is an atheist, but that he wishes he could believe. Burke (Nonso Anozie) awakens and he begins to hallucinate from hypoxia. He goes back to sleep in front of the campfire. The group bonds over personal stories. Ottway tells the group about a poem that is hung above his father's desk, a poem that contributes to the film's major theme. He recites the poem:
"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..."
A blizzard approaches and they try to preserve the campfire to prevent hypothermia. Despite their best efforts, Ottway finds Burke's frozen lifeless body in the morning. Further in their travels, the survivors come across a high canyon wall within which, screened by trees, they identify a river. Hendrick jumps to the trees to secure a line as a means of traverse. Diaz and Ottway make it across the line to join Hendrick, but Talget, who is afraid of heights, loses his glasses on the way and freezes out of fear. He reluctantly continues across, but soon finds his injured hand has begun bleeding and he gets caught up in the makeshift rope. Talget struggles to untangle himself, but the line breaks and he crashes through the trees to the ground. Wounded, Talget sees a vision of his daughter and is dragged away by the wolves. While attempting to save Talget, Diaz falls from the tree and injures his knee.
The three remaining survivors continue their trek and make it to the river, but an exhausted Diaz can make it no further, preferring to stay and die than go on. Diaz understands that if Ottway and Henrick dragged him along, they would be more open to attack. Thus, he decides to come to terms with death. Hendrick tries to convince Diaz to carry on, but Ottway tells him it is futile. They give each other final goodbyes and Ottway and Hendrick leave Diaz on the riverside, as the crackling of branches caused by wolves is heard. Ottway and Hendrick continue, but are soon chased by wolves again. Fleeing, Hendrick falls in the river and he gets his foot stuck between underwater rocks. Ottway jumps into the river to attempt to save him, but Hendrick drowns in the river. Freezing and alone, Ottway then curses God and asks for his help with no response. Ottway continues on without his wet coat but he is eventually dazed from hypothermia taking effect.
Ottway then stops and pulls out each wallet collected from the dead, examining the mementos they contain. He places them on the snow, in the shape of a cross. He then adds his own wallet as well. Suddenly, the pack of wolves surrounds him, leading Ottway to discover that he has walked right into their den. He is soon spotted by the alpha wolf and the other pack members back off. Ottway sees another vision of his wife, which now reveals that she told him to not be afraid as she died on a hospital bed. Deciding to make a final stand, he puts on the emergency wristwatch, tapes miniature alcohol bottles to his fist and breaks them on a nearby rock as a makeshift weapon and also tapes a knife to his other hand. He quietly recites his father's poem to himself, then charges the alpha wolf before the screen goes black.
In a brief post-credits scene, the back of Ottway's head is seen lying on top of a still-breathing wolf's stomach. It is unknown whether or not he survived, but it appears that the wolf breathes his dying breath, similar to the wolf shot by Ottway at camp earlier in the film.
Source : en.wikipedia.org
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