If Hollywood has taught
you anything in recent years, it's that you don't get on the wrong
side of Liam Neeson. If you even so much as glance at his daughter,
you'll receive a punch in the face. And in Neeson's latest outing as
an angry father with children who keep getting themselves in trouble,
little has changed. Indeed, Run All Night shares
90% of its DNA with all three Taken films,
films which have given Mr Neeson plenty of time to hone the
'particular set of skills' for which he has become famous in recent
years. But one can't help wishing he'd settled down in the country
and replace his gun with a copy of Reader's Digest.
The
set-up for Run All Night is
pretty familiar territory. Liam Neeson plays washed-up Jimmy Conlon,
a man with a dark and violent past. Disowned by his son (Joel
Kinnaman) and depending on drink for emotional support, it appears
that Jimmy is well and truly paying for his sins. But when his son
witnesses a shooting and is pursued by the full-force of Jimmy's old
mob-boss friend (Ed Harris), Jimmy sees an opportunity to atone for
the past.
So
what you effectively have is a re-run of Taken,
although this time it's Liam's son in trouble, rather than his
daughter. The violence is just as potent and bullets fly like they're
going out of fashion. But I have to say that the action sequences are
well-crafted and bold (something that was lacking in the second and
third Taken films).
One gripping sequence in a high-rise block of flats is especially
well-conceived, with lasers surging through the smoke and chaos of an
entire city police force chasing after Jimmy and his son.
Alongside
the violence, there seems to be an attempt on the part of director
Jaume Collet-Serra to construct an emotional integrity to characters
which, otherwise, would be forgettable and distant to the audience.
I'm not saying that this is characterisation worthy of Shakespeare,
but at least there is a genuine attempt to crack the macho and
aggressive veneer of the genre. And it is, perhaps, the
self-referential humour which appears now and again that helps to add
depth to the narrative.
From
a plot perspective, Run All Night holds
few surprises, is rather contrived and Jimmy's character arc is a
simple A-to-B affair. Many of the set-pieces are ridiculous and, as a
whole, the film is unremarkable. I always feel a little sorry for
Neeson who is a strong screen presence (look no further than
Schindler's List, for
example) but seems to end up in action films which offer little apart
from punch-ups and chances for him to sedately announce his violent
intentions in his gravelly Irish tones.
You'd be forgiven for
double-checking your cinema ticket if you go and see Run All
Night. No, you haven't walked
into a re-release screening of Taken.
Liam Neeson really is at it again. Run All Night is
fun at times, predictable at others and rather mediocre as a whole.
Not the most ringing endorsement, I have to admit.
Clapperboard Rating: * * *
