20 Movies You Weren't Expecting To Make You Cry

With The Grey, we expected a badass survival thriller involving Liam Neeson fighting wolves. My oh my, how wrong we were. 

Instead, The Grey is a philosophical, character-focused survival film and Neeson never actually fights any wolves on-screen. It begins with his character, Otway, attempting suicide, and remains resolutely miserable from that point forward. All of the survivors of the plane crash that starts the story off ultimately die in a variety of affecting, disturbing sequences, while the movie is also filled with sombre philosophical dialogue that makes the whole thing even more morose.

The film also boasts one of Liam Neeson's most affecting performances, one which no doubt hit uncomfortably close to home for him. It's revealed that Otway's wife died of a terminal illness before the picture's story, and Neeson made this movie not long after the tragic death of his wife in a skiing accident.

It culminates with a desperately upsetting scene in which Otway puts his wallet and those of his now-deceased fellow survivors in the snow for whoever to find, before having one last fight with the wolves, choosing to make a stand even after all the hell he's been through. The Grey then cuts to the credits, and viewers don't find out what happened to Otway in the end, as if this wasn't all grim enough already. 

To be honest, that ambiguous ending was perhaps a mistake, but the rest of the movie is thoroughly impressive, powerful stuff. Do bring the tissues, though.