A Glean movie guide
Against All Odds
Survive at any cost.
These films push the human spirit to its absolute limit in the face of certain death.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
The Revenant
A visceral, masterfully shot epic of endurance and vengeance in the frozen wilderness.
In the 1820s, a frontiersman, Hugh Glass, sets out on a path of vengeance against those who left him for dead after a bear mauling.
- 02
Society of the Snow
A harrowing and deeply moving account of the 1972 Andes flight disaster.
On October 13, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, chartered to take a rugby team to Chile, crashes into a glacier in the heart of the Andes.
- 03
127 Hours
A gripping, claustrophobic race against time that celebrates the sheer will to live.
The true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a fallen boulder crashes on his arm and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah.
- 04
Gravity
A relentless, high-tension spectacle that turns the vacuum of space into a terrifying trap.
Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer, is on her first Shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The Shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalski completely alone-tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness of space. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.
- 05
The Grey
A philosophical and brutal struggle for survival against the elements and a relentless wolf pack.
Following a grueling five-week shift at an Alaskan oil refinery, workers led by sharpshooter John Ottway are flying home for a much-needed vacation. But a brutal storm causes their plane to crash in the frozen wilderness, and only eight men, including Ottway, survive. As they trek southward toward civilization and safety, Ottway and his companions must battle mortal injuries, the icy elements, and a pack of hungry wolves.
- 06
Apocalypto
A breathless, high-stakes chase through the jungle that never lets up on the intensity.
Set in the Mayan civilization, when a man's idyllic presence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force, he is taken on a perilous journey to a world ruled by fear and oppression where a harrowing end awaits him. Through a twist of fate and spurred by the power of his love for his woman and his family he will make a desperate break to return home and to ultimately save his way of life.
- 07
Cast Away
The definitive island survival story, anchored by a powerful performance of isolation and hope.
Chuck Noland, a top international manager for FedEx, and Kelly, a Ph.D. student, are in love and heading towards marriage. Then Chuck's plane to Malaysia crashes at sea during a terrible storm. He's the only survivor, and finds himself marooned on a desolate island. With no way to escape, Chuck must find ways to survive in his new home.
- 08
The Martian
A refreshing, science-backed survival tale where ingenuity is the ultimate weapon.
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.
- 09
Buried
An exercise in pure, heart-pounding suspense confined entirely within a wooden coffin.
Paul is a U.S. truck driver working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.
- 10
Green Room
A gritty, white-knuckle thriller where a punk band must fight their way out of a deadly trap.
A punk rock band is forced to fight for survival after witnessing an act of violence at a skinhead bar.
- 11
Arctic
A minimalist and punishingly realistic depiction of one man's trek across a frozen wasteland.
A man stranded in the Arctic is finally about to receive his long awaited rescue. However, after a tragic accident, his opportunity is lost and he must then decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his camp or embark on a deadly trek through the unknown for potential salvation.
- 12
Jungle
A visceral true story of a trek through the Bolivian jungle that turns into a fight for life.
In 1981, an enthusiastic young adventurer follows his dreams into the Bolivian Amazon jungle with two friends and a guide with a mysterious past. Their journey quickly turns into a terrifying ordeal as the darkest elements of human nature and the deadliest threats of the wilderness lead to an all-out fight for survival.