8 Films That Ended Too Soon

8. The Grey

2011’s The Grey is a rugged, masculine tale of survival against the elements (and a hungry pack of wolves) that perhaps promised more than it could truly deliver.

The power of the metaphor is great and it’s certainly made abundantly clear that Neeson’s John Ottway facing down the alpha wolf is symbolism for him finally standing up to his problems, rather than running away.

After all, moments before the face-off we find out that John’s plans commit suicide in the film’s opening spawn from his inability to confront his wife’s terminal illnesses. Now death stares him down, he chooses to fight, and…

Credits.

The bigger problem is that the film’s post-credits scene actually tags on the revelation that he won that fight, albeit at great cost.

So… you mean to say I sat through the whole film, there was a face-off between Liam Neeson and the wolf that wasn't meant to be ambiguous, but most audiences didn't see it?

The abrupt ending of The Grey is more in-line with its deeper, philosophical tones, but is undermined by that very final scene; also cheapened by the fact that sometimes you just want to see a man and a wolf go toe-to-toe.

Don’t tease us with a showdown, cut away from it, then half-deliver a few moments later.