Fellow readers: I know we're not all alike. I know that there are some strange movies that I swoon over and special places in my heart for actors you may or may not give a shit about (*cough* Nicolas Cage). There has been and will always be a special place in my heart for Liam Neeson. The man knows badass like he was born with it. He plays badass so well I just kinda assume this is how he acts usually even off set. Once showed America his badass-ness with Taken, the dude has found his niche. The problem with that sort of niche is that America is tired trying to decipher which ones are the good ones and which ones are the piss ones. Sometimes, I'll admit, it's hard to tell. We all knew that Unknown, Non-Stop, Taken 3, and Battleship were going to be utter shite. But, I'll admit that I thought Taken 2, Clash of the Titans, The Grey, and A Walk Among The Tombstones were going to be gold. Unfortunately, the latter two were the only ones worth anything. So, with the high volume of Neeson movies coming out, you don't want to waste your money on one that isn't as badass as the first Taken. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I present you with Run All Night. Probably the best Neeson movie since Schindler's List. At the very least, the best since Love, Actually.
Plots in a Neeson movie don't usually matter, but they kind of matter this time. Neeson stars as Jimmy Conlon, the second hand man to crime boss Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris). When Shawn's son sets up a drug deal that goes awry, he's left to clean it up with his own incompetent hands. Unfortunately, caught in the crossfire of this deal is Jimmy's son, Michael. Shawn's kid decides he has to kill Michael and Neeson intervenes at the last second killing Shawn's idiot son (who really had it coming). But, because there is some strange code of honor among thieves, Shawn isn't able to let this one go. He puts out a hit on Jimmy and Michael. Jimmy must now spend the rest of the night trying to keep his son alive. The entire movie takes place, essentially, in one night.
On the surface, this sounds like your typical high concept Neeson film that just allows him to kill as many people as possible within the confines of a small time-frame. But, there's much more to it than that. Jimmy and Michael haven't spoken in years and are, in every sense of the word, estranged. As Jimmy tries to keep Michael alive, he's also trying to repair their relationship that is all but dead. He's also trying to keep his kid from becoming himself as well. He's trying to keep him from pulling a trigger so he doesn't fall into the "life". There's a wonderful father/son dynamic that paints Neeson, and everyone else in the movie for that matter, as more than a one-dimensional character.
What it really comes down to is that this is still a Liam Neeson action flick. However, what separates it is the writing. We all knew Neeson could act, but given the wrong script, it doesn't matter how good an actor you are, you'll come off wrong (Taken 2 and 3). But, with good writing, a good story, fully-fleshed out characters, and perfectly choreographed action sequences... you're in for a good film. What's cool too is this is Neeson's third collaboration with director Jaume Collett-Serra who helmed the sub par films Unknown and Non-Stop which were very underwhelming. But, having worked together enough, the two of them were able to figure out that perfect combination of great action with a great script, despite some terrible directorial choices to freeze time and cheesily wipe from one location to another (a very weak point of the movie). Run All Night isn't just a mindless action flick, it actually has something to say-- which is as rare as much as it is a delight.
B+
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