Liam Neeson saved me from the pandemic

While living in uncertain times we yearn for heroes on the big screen and small screens.  In the past, actors such as Errol Flynn, Sean Connery, Jean Paul Belmondo, Charles Bronson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger have embodied the dependable men of action who audiences trust for their evening of vicarious thrills. Starting with his surprise hit Taken in 2008, Liam Neeson has emerged as this generation’s Clint Eastwood – a taciturn and impressive physical threat to criminal corruption wherever it festers. Even a worldwide pandemic has not deterred Neeson from his mission to entertain. Since October of 2020, he has had an impressive 5 pictures in release as of April 29, 2022. Here is a viewing guide to the man who saved me from the pandemic.

Honest Thief (2020)

A good start to Neeson’s cycle of Covid era films. Producer-writer-director Mark Williams (creator of the tv series Ozark) has fashioned a compelling moral tale about a successful non-violent bank robber who wishes to repay the stolen money and face the legal consequences so he can marry the woman he loves. Naturally, a ruthless pair of crooked cops get in the way of his plans, but Liam proves equally deadly when pushed to defend himself. A small-scale thriller that effectively balances its hard-boiled elements with the somewhat melodramatic set up.

The Marksman (2021)

Neeson has often flirted with Clint Eastwood style characters in the past, but this script feels like it was originally intended for Dirty Harry himself, not least because it is written and directed by longtime Eastwood associate Robert Lorenz (The Trouble with the Curve). Mark Williams also produced this story of an aging former US Marine Corps sniper who patrols the US-Mexican border reporting on illegal immigrants to US Border Patrol where his step-daughter works. When he kills a member of a drug cartel while protecting an orphaned Mexican boy he is saddled with the uneasy task of dodging vengeful criminals as he drives the boy to his only family in Chicago. Neeson is very believable as a lonely widower - and dead shot- with a gruff demeanor yet kind heart that the audience knows will win the boy’s trust. Coincidently, Clint Eastwood would direct and star in a very similar film Cry Macho, released only 8 months later.

The Ice Road (2021)

The most ambitious of Neeson’s recent action films and a frigid bookend to his Scandi-noir remake Cold Pursuit (2019). Here Liam is part of a team of ice truckers racing over a frozen lake to rescue trapped miners. A perfect example of old fashioned high octane filmmaking, using minimal CGI and shot by Clint Eastwood’s longtime cinematographer Tom Stern on authentically remote Lake Winnipeg locations. Writer-director Jonathan Hensleigh (Armageddon, The Punisher) knows which classic films to steal from (The Wages of Fear, Sorceror), while proving that charismatic middle-aged actors like Neeson and Laurence Fishburne can still sell the visceral suspense and emotional extremes of the premise. Buckle up for the best truck thriller since Breakdown (1997).

Blacklight (2022)

Liam Neeson’s first movie shot during the pandemic casts him as an FBI agent who uncovers a conspiracy while on the verge of retirement. A low concept but serviceable potboiler successfully reuniting Neeson with filmmaker Mark Williams and his Michael Collins (1996) co-star Aidian Quinn. Truly a test of Neeson’s watchability even in B-movie material, with enough action and intrigue to provide a slow night’s entertainment.

Memory (2022)

It was perhaps inevitable that Neeson would eventually work with action director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, the Mask of Zorro), and hopefully this upcoming thriller will fulfill the promise of their anticipated collaboration. A remake of the Belgian film The Memory of a Killer (2003) that tells the story of a freelance assassin targeted by his client when he refuses to complete his assignment. The hook is that the Neeson’s hitman character suffers from Alzheimer’s, so he can’t even trust his own memory as he fights to stay one step ahead of his enemies. I will be looking forward to this as my first Liam Neeson film at the cinema in over 2 years and even though he turns 70 in June, this is will hopefully not be the last of his beloved action heroes.