Survival Stories on Screen: Lessons from 10 Survival Thrilling Movies

1.The Grey (2012)

Release Date: January 27, 2012

Director: Joe Carnahan

Overview: A group of oil rig workers stranded in the Alaskan wilderness are hunted by a pack of wolves after a plane crash.

Cast: Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo, Dallas Roberts, and Joe Anderson.

Official Trailer:

2.Rescue Dawn (2007)

Release Date: July 4, 2007

Director: Werner Herzog

Overview: Based on the true story of American pilot Dieter Dengler, who is captured and escapes from a Laotian POW camp during the Vietnam War.

Cast: Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies, and Tony Plana.

Official Trailer:

3.Buried (2010)

Release Date: October 8, 2010

Director: Rodrigo Cortés

Overview: A U.S. contractor in Iraq finds himself buried alive in a coffin with only a lighter and a cell phone, facing a race against time to escape.

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, José Pablo Cantillo, and Robert Paterson.

Official Trailer:

4.The Road (2009)

Release Date: November 25, 2009

Director: John Hillcoat

Overview: A father and his young son journey across a post-apocalyptic landscape, struggling to survive and maintain their humanity.

Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, and Robert Duvall.

Official Trailer:

5.127 Hours (2010)

Release Date: November 5, 2010

Director: Danny Boyle

Overview: The true story of Aron Ralston, a hiker who becomes trapped by a boulder in a canyon and resorts to extreme measures to survive.

Cast: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, and Kate Mara.

Official Trailer:

6.The Martian (2015)

Release Date: October 2, 2015

Director: Ridley Scott

Overview: An astronaut stranded on Mars must figure out how to survive while awaiting rescue, using his ingenuity and spirit.

Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, and Jeff Daniels.

Official Trailer:

7.Jungle (2017)

Release Date: October 20, 2017

Director: Greg McLean

Overview: Based on the true story of Yossi Ghinsberg, who becomes lost in the Amazon rainforest and must fight for survival.

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Thomas Kretschmann, Alex Russell, and Joel Jackson.

Official Trailer:

8.Gravity (2013)

Release Date: October 4, 2013

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Overview: Astronauts stranded in space after a shuttle disaster must work together to survive and find their way back to Earth.

Cast: Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.

Official Trailer:

9.The Revenant (2015)

Release Date: December 25, 2015

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Overview: A frontiersman on a quest for survival and revenge after being left for dead by his own hunting team.

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, and Will Poulter.

Official Trailer:

10.Cast Away (2000)

Release Date: December 22, 2000

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Overview: A FedEx executive survives a plane crash and is stranded on a deserted island, where he must find a way to survive.

Cast: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, and Nick Searcy.

Official Trailer: