Into the Grizzly Maze


Into the Grizzly Maze, is an American action horror-thriller film directed by David Hackl and written by J.R. Reher. When two estranged brothers reunite at their childhood home in the Alaskan wilderness, they and the women they love set out on a two-day hike whilst being stalked by a massive, unrelenting, and bloodthirsty grizzly bear. The film stars James Marsden, Thomas Jane, Billy Bob Thornton, Piper Perabo and Scott Glenn. The film was released on video on demand on May 19, 2015, before a limited release on June 26, 2015.

Plot

Deep in the Alaskan wilderness, in a place known as the Grizzly Maze, brothers Beckett and Rowan Moore encounter a massive grizzly bear, and survive. Years later, the brothers have become estranged; Beckett has become a local deputy while Rowan is an ex-convict. Coming home to Alaska Rowan meets up with old friend Mary Cadillac, who gives him supplies and asks him to find her husband Johnny.
Three hunters are chopping off bear paws at a cabin in the deep woods. One hunter, Johnny, says they are leaving the cabin the next day. The others, Mike and Dolly, insist they are not, saying they were given an extra week to hunt. John exits the cabin and is shot. He makes it to the treeline and while he kills Mike, Dolly is slaughtered by a large bear.
Rowan goes to a bar and meets a girl named Amber. Later, Rowan and Amber go to an motel room. However, Rowan kicks Amber out after discovering that Amber is a prostitute. After leaving the room, Amber is assaulted by her boyfriend/pimp, Franco. When Rowan goes out to break it up, he gets into a fight with Franco. A police car arrives and Rowan sees his older brother Beckett for the first time upon his release.
Beckett arrests Rowan. Beckett and Sheriff Sully speak with Franco and he is released. Having not seen or spoken to each other in seven years the brothers have a rocky start. Beckett asks Rowan why he has come home and they visit the family house. Beckett reveals he has married a deaf mute wildlife photographer and conservationist named Michelle. Rowan has returned to go to the Grizzly Maze and pay respects to their father.
Meanwhile, out in the woods during a snowstorm two loggers and their dog are killed by the bear. The next day Michelle is taking photos of other animals unaware she is being stalked by the bear.
After the brothers visit their mother's grave, Beckett gets a radio call about the killed loggers. Rowan uses a map to find something and comes across a car buried in leaves belonging to Johnny Cadillac. While Beckett investigates the logging incident, hunter and butcher Douglas arrives and tells them that the bear that killed the loggers is far from an ordinary bear, describing it as an intelligent individual. While Douglas offers his help to track it, Beckett, accompanied by Rowan’s ex-girlfriend Kaley, goes out to the Maze to find Rowan and Michelle.
While Sully manages to shut the logging down, out in the woods, Michelle comes face to face with the bear itself, but in doing so, gets caught in a trap she set. Rowan arrives, scares off the bear and helps Michelle. Sully visits Douglas, who once again informs him that this bear is exacting its wrath rather than satisfying its hunger or establishing its territory. When Zoe, one of Sully's deputies, finds the abandoned car, she is killed by the bear. After Douglas agrees to hunt and kill the bear, Sully and Jerry investigate the car. Beckett and Kaley meet up with Michelle and Rowan.
The two brothers then clash until Rowan reveals he came to find Johnny. Later, Michelle and Beckett look at a satellite of their tagged bears and hypothesize they are running away because of the larger bear. Rowan and Kaley catch-up, later that night, Kaley is attacked by the bear. Rowan and Beckett try to shoot it, but the bear runs off. The group packs up to leave the forest.
As the bear continues to follow the group, Michelle falls into a dead moose carcass, only to find it is a kill zone full of dead moose. The group decides to make it through the maze. Sully goes to get the group out by boat. The group encounters Douglas standing over one of Beckett and Michelle's collared bears. Initially believing he killed it, video recording shows the collared bear was attacked by the larger bear.
Going separate ways from Douglas, the group encounter the bear again, however, Kaley is injured. After the group spots the butcher cabin, they decide to leave, especially after finding Johnny dead. Douglas arrives and informs them of something shady having to do with Sully. Setting up camp, Rowan explains to Kaley, during one night in the Maze, Rowan went to Johnny to sell drugs for money. Being a guide to Johnny and his drug dealer, Rowan took the two into the maze. During a deal, Rowan and the two are hit by state troopers. However, Rowan noticed a ranger was injured and was about to get killed by someone else, but Rowan shot that guy instead and saved the ranger.
As Sully comes in on his boat, Douglas shoots the bear and Rowan and Beckett do not find him. Rowan stays behind to distract the bear while Beckett gets the girls to the boat. Rowan manages to make the bear chase him. While chasing Beckett and the girls, Michelle gets separated from them. The bear corners her, however, she is saved by Beckett and Douglas. However, Douglas is killed by the bear.
The trio make it to the boat and are encountered by Sully, who reveals he has been taking money and let poachers loose into the Maze. The bear arrives and kills Sully. After Rowan reveals to be alive, the brothers fight the bear. Beckett pours gasoline around the bear and then sets the circle on fire, hoping to trap it. However, the bear runs through the flames and brings down the boat. Rowan saves Kaley and stabs the bear in the neck, killing it.
With the bear dead, the group then recover and leave the Maze.

Cast

On January 19, 2012 James Marsden, Thomas Jane and Billy Bob Thornton joined the cast of the thriller, then titled Red Machine. Later that month, Piper Perabo also joined the film cast to play the role of Jane's fiancee. According to Deadline, filming began in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in February 2012. The producers are Tai Duncan, Hadeel Reda, and Paul Schiff.
On February 2, 2012, more cast members were added, including Scott Glenn, Adam Beach, Michaela McManus and Kelly Curran. Animal actor Bart the Bear 2 was also hired to co-star.
On February 27, 2013, Open Road Films acquired the distribution rights of the film. Open Road also changed the title of the film from Red Machine to Endangered.
On July 20, 2014, the first trailer for the film was released, revealing that the film had been renamed Grizzly.
On May 7, 2015, a second trailer was released, showing that the title had again changed and the film is now being called Into the Grizzly Maze.

Release

On February 27, 2013, Open Road Films acquired the distribution rights of the film. Open Road also changed the title of the film from Red Machine to Endangered. Open Road later dropped the film, and Vertical Entertainment and Destination Films acquired distribution rights instead and released the film on video on demand on May 19, 2015 before a limited release on June 26, 2015.

Reception

The film has a score of 43% on Metacritic.