Bullet Points: Grizzly aka Red Machine
Not long ago I came across a film titled Grizzly, (or Red Machine) and while I usually dig movies with killer animals, I sat it on my back burner for a while until just recently. The film has a very impressive cast and unlike most films with this type of subject matter, this one doesn’t mind showing us the bear maul some people instead of just showing the aftermath. I guess that is where Grizzly really won me over. Bart the Bear is definitely a star in the making.
The Gist: A recent attack in the Alaskan wilderness by a grizzly bear leads Deputy Beckett and others into the forest to investigate. At the same time, his estranged brother heads into the woods to find his missing friend.
The Cast: There is an exception cast brought together for Grizzly. Besides Thomas Jane and James Marsden, we have Billy Bob Thornton, Scott Glenn, Piper Perabo, and the star of the film, Bart the Bear. Perabo plays the deaf wife of Jane who gets stuck out in the forest. Ripe pickin’s for the bear. I did notice that there were only four women in the entire movie and they were all super hot so I guess I should have moved to Alaska! Billy Bob plays a hunter by the name of Douglas who is an expert tracker and killer of all things bear. I was expecting him to be just a bit player but he got a few really cool lines and enough time to make a difference. I liked Jane and Marsden as brothers too. Marsden had returned after getting into some trouble and “doing time” and Jane was the local Deputy who married a tree hugging conservationist. As you can imagine, hugging trees does little to stop a bear from eating your face.
Punisher and Cyclops vs a Grizzly Bear!
The Villain: Bart the Bear is the true star of this film. He’s been in quite a few movies and shows; most recently Game of Thrones and We Bought a Zoo with Matt Damon. I thought it was pretty funny when I saw that Bart had his own imdb page but that bear can act! I guess there aren’t many different emotions that he has to convey but he does a great job of scaring the shit out of people and knowing on their limbs. The movie all but tells us that the reason the bear is pissed off is because of the logging industry encroaching all up in his business and I found myself rooting for the bear for most of the film.
Bart needs to be available for birthday parties. Talk about a good prank.
The Action: Grizzly is similar to all of the other animals vs. humans movie out there like Jaws, Rogue, Orca, and Beethoven, but here we aren’t just teased for the entire movie before seeing the animal in action. Here we get a shot of the bear killing people for pretty much the entire movie. That is the best thing about Grizzly, it doesn’t skimp out on the bear-slaughtering. The way that the bear stalked and hunted them was cool and the finale was one of the best in this genre. I don’t know why that bear would mess with Cyclops and The Punisher?!?
Should have called the Hulk!
Take it Home:
- Bear Rom-Com: I don’t get why movies like this can’t just be about the killer bear and not try to force love stories and whatnot into them.
- Casting: Adrien Brody almost starred alongside Gerard Butler but they eventually passed.
- Fountain of Youth: Does Piper Perabo ever age?
- What’s in a name: I highly doubt two guys this age would have the names Rowan and Beckett. That seems like something people might name their kids these days but not back in the early 70’s.
- Favorite quote: “This bear isn’t just territorial or hungry, it’s pissed off.”
Rating: 3.5/5
