For Irish month on the CFS Blog, I thought I’d highlight one of my favorite, current action stars. His name is Liam Neeson and he has a very particular set of skills. The star of the popular Taken trilogy was born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland in 1952. He rose to critical success with his portrayal of Oskar Schindler in Schindler’s List (1993) and earned an Oscar nomination for his performance. In a world today of robot battles and old actors trying to relive their blockbuster days, it’s hard to find an action hero that people can really root for. Liam Neeson has been that actor for me. The thing that keeps me running to the theaters to see the next Neeson action movie is how he always plays a great character with his back against the wall. More often than not he is fighting for a loved one, so he gains our sympathy and impresses us with his amazing fighting skills.
Taken (2008) did everything right. His daughter was kidnapped and his character, Brian Mills, would do anything to get her back. Neeson was able to balance being a concerned father and an ex-CIA agent. It definitely helped that the story line was fresh and fairly realistic.
Neeson did movies in between, but the moneymaker and cult favorite, the first Taken, was one that naturally yielded a second movie. Taken 2 (2012) provided another kidnapped family member, this time the mother. Everyone wanted to see this second installment because it's predecessor was so well done. People were disappointed due to the movie being pretty much the same as the first, only with a new kidnapped victim. I still enjoyed Taken 2 because even though the story wasn’t as thought out, the thrilling action and Neeson’s role kept me satisfied.
Neeson had some smaller movies in between, but Non-Stop (2014) was his return to Taken-esque action, which was fine by me. I love action movies in closed off spaces such as a plane. What’s scarier than people slowly being killed off in a place where the characters can’t leave? This plane thriller may not be as well executed as Wes Craven's Red Eye (2005), but I enjoyed seeing Neeson’s classic role in this setting. Just as the other movies, Non-Stop starts with us feeling sorry for the loss of his daughter, as well as his alcoholic past. I loved seeing Neeson’s character become paranoid and flustered because I knew his character would do anything to save the people on the flight.
Taken 3 (2014) started with the murder of his ex-wife and Neeson’s character being blamed for the crime. I commend the writers for changing up the plot because they were running out of characters to be kidnapped. The plot was still a bit forced, which many could expect from a third installment. I enjoyed the addition of Forrest Whitaker, an actor I’ve always admired. Admittedly, he could have been utilized in a much better way, but for the third film in an action franchise, I still enjoyed seeing Brian Mills, especially fighting against police and the good side, instead of Albanians.
Last but not least, the new film Run All Night (2015) was entertaining and probably had one of the better story lines since the first Taken. Neeson’s character finds his son about to be killed by another man, so he kills the man. Ed Harris plays the father of the killed man, and does a great job of being fierce and vengeful. The end of the movie forgets the storyline and becomes a gun battle, however this movie was very stylishly shot and was very engaging to watch.
Liam Neeson has played everything from a Nazi to voicing a character in The Lego Movie (2014), but my favorite films of his are always his action films. Some people might call these roles redundant, but Neeson plays it so well that I can’t help but yearn for more. The films I have listed above were all entertaining in their own way, and I look forward to seeing what roles this Irish bada** chooses in the future.
Written by: Ben Carter
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